asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total sums paid in ground rents during each of the last five years for which the figures are available.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total incomes derived from ground rents assessed for income-tax in each of the last five years for which the figures are available.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total amount remitted to persons residing outside the State in respect of ground rents during each of the last five years for which the figures are available.

As these three questions relate to the same subject matter I propose, with the Deputy's permission, to deal with them together.

I regret that, as already indicated in replies to previous questions of this nature, the information for which the Deputy asks is not available.

Has the Minister any information on the subject in any form which would show the amount collected in ground rents and the amount exported to absentee landlords in the form of ground rents? Is any information of any kind available?

From investigations which I made on previous occasions and recently arising out of the Deputy's questions, I do not think we can even give any reliable guess. Might I add that, as far as a guess can be made, the sum which goes out of the country is a very, very small one in relation to the whole figure?