asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the past decade (1) the annual receipts from rates; (2) the percentage of local authority revenue expenditure provided annually from rates; (3) the rates as a percentage of GNP and (4) the percentage of health expenditure provided by rates annually.

Details of the total rates revenue of local authorities in each year up to and including 1968-69 are set out in the returns of local taxation. The corresponding figures for 1969-70 and 1970-71 are £42.95 million and £49.93 million respectively. As the remainder of the reply is in the form of a tabular statement I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.

Following is the statement: