asked the Minister for Finance the annual rents paid for office accommodation for the Department of Labour in (a) the Dublin area and (b) provincial areas.

The rents payable for the year ended 30th June, 1975, for office accommodation for the Department of Labour amounted to (a) £116,196 in the Dublin area and (b) £28,952 in provincial areas.

10.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of each property rented by the State (a) the location, (b) the use being made of the property, and (c) the annual rent; and the total cost of all property rented in each year 1973, 1974 and 1975.

Because of the very large number of properties in respect of which the State pay rent the time which would be needed to assemble the information sought by the Deputy would not be justified.

The total amounts paid in rent in 1973-74, 1974, 9 months, and the estimated expenditure under this heading in 1975 are £1,906,052, £1,908,215 and £3,516,250 respectively.

Why the enormous increase of £1 million in the estimated amount for this year?

I have not got the particulars here but the increase is probably due either to an increase in the rents or in the amount of footage.

An increase of 50 per cent.

While we appreciate that the number and locations may be many and varied, it is important the House should know the locations and the use to which premises rented by the Government are put or if some of the premises are not used at all and may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary would he circulate Deputies with this information at as early a date as possible?

I will certainly do that.