asked the Minister for the Environment the total number of pence in each pound collected by all the rating authorities throughout the country used to pay interest on loans; the amount applicable to each authority; and the total amount of moneys paid in 1979 to cover interest on loans.

Information in the form requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. From the information at present available, however, it is estimated that the interest element of the gross loan charges payable by local authorities to service their capital indebtedness in 1979 was of the order of £99 million. Portion of this sum would be met from the Exchequer through subsidies towards loan charges and portion of it from other receipts such as repayments of house purchase loans. The balance which would fall to be met directly from local rates is estimated to be the equivalent of the produce of a rate of about 73p in the £ on a national basis but about 60 per cent of this would be met by the Exchequer through the operation of such grants as the agricultural grant and the grant in relief of rates. A breakdown of the estimate on an individual local authority basis is not available.

Do I understand the Minister to say that the approximate net repayable amounts expressed as a percentage of a rateable £ was 73p?

Seventy-three pence in the £.

The Minister stated that the information on a breakdown from the local authority was not available. Could it be made available? It is a question of compiling statistics. Surely the Department would know.

I can get the information for the Deputy.