Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she can provide any assistance to villages in Ireland looking to establish twinning arrangements with foreign locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11195/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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While my Department continues to put in place a range of supports to towns and villages across rural Ireland, it has no function in relation to the establishment of twinning arrangements between Irish towns and a foreign location.

A local authority may enter into arrangements for the twinning of its administrative area or a part of it or establish other similar links with any other area, whether within or outside the State but competence for such matters lies exclusively with local authorities. Twinning arrangements are covered under Section 75 of the Local Government Act 2001 and are a reserved function of local authorities or as directed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.