andMr. Cluskey asked the Minister for Local Government the total amount paid in rates by Dublin Corporation tenants for the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rents and annuities received by Dublin Corporation on the 50,000 dwellings provided by them amounted to £4,172,000 in 1968-69. Of this, approximately £1,514,000 represented amounts for rates.

30.

asked the Minister for Local Government what arrangements will be made to facilitate people who wish to pay their rates by instalments in the coming year.

Under the Local Government (Rates) Act, 1970, the rated occupiers of dwellings and of agricultural land will have a right to pay their rates by instalments. Local authorities have already been given advance notice, by circular letter, that under the relevant regulations they will be required to provide for the spreading of rate of payments over ten consecutive months of the financial year. They will also be required, by means of public advertisements issued not later than one month before the commencement of the financial year, to bring to the notice of ratepayers in the categories concerned the conditions under which the right to pay instalments may be exercised.

31.

andMr. Cluskey asked the Minister for Local Government how many old age pensioners, widows and deserted wives, who are tenants of Dublin Corporation, are paying rates.

This information is not available in my Department.

32.

andDr. O'Connell asked the Minister for Local Government when the Dublin City Manager will commence a scheme whereby the weekly receipts to tenants of Dublin Corporation will record the rents and rates contributions separately.

The detailed operation of their rent schemes is by law, a matter for the local authority.

However, I asked the Dublin Corporation some time ago to amend their schemes as soon as practicable so as to indicate separately the basic rent and the rates. I understand that the corporation now, in fact, notify each tenant of the rateable valuation of his dwelling so that he can calculate the rates payable on it. I might mention that the amount paid by tenants on the minimum or lower points of the differential rent scales is insufficient to cover the rates on their premises so that they are, in fact, paying no rent and only a fraction of the amount due for rates.

33.

andDr. O'Connell asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in relation to the payment of differential rents to Dublin Corporation (a) the number of people paying minimum rent, (b) the number of people paying maximum rent and (c) the number of people not paying rent.

This information is not available in my Department.

May I ask the Minister if he has ever sought this information? Surely in respect of the operation of differential rents in the largest local authority in the Republic such elementary information should be available to any Minister for Local Government worth his salt?

No.

The Minister does not think so?

No. It changes from time to time. There would be no point in requiring the corporation to employ staff to keep this type of statistics which would serve no useful function.

Surely the Minister appreciates that the number of those who are paying minimum rent can be readily ascertained at any point of time, by a couple of hours checking in any local authority and that there is no great difficulty in doing this?

Local authority staffs are fully employed doing their work.

Certainly I think that in terms of social statistics knowing the way that people pay their rents generally in the country would be of value.

Question No. 34 postponed.