asked the Minister for Justice if he will give an estimate of the amount of ground rents payable annually; and the value of new ground rents created during the past five years.

As I pointed out in reply to a recent Parliamentary Question, the Ground Rents Commission in their "Report on Ground Rents" (Pr. 7783) indicated that they were unable to estimate either the number of ground rents in the State or the total amount of money involved. During the proceedings in this House on the Bill of the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (No. 2) Act, 1978 a very tentative figure of 250,000 was used with reference to the total number of ground rents on dwelling houses. The likely capital value of these was assumed to be something between £30 million and £60 million.

No estimates are possible with regard to the total amount of ground rents payable, or with regard to the value of new ground rents created during the past five years. As far as dwelling houses are concerned the creation of new ground rents was made impossible after May 1978 by the first Ground Rents Act of 1978.

When is it proposed that the Government will introduce legislation to give effect to their pre-election undertaking to abolish existing ground rents?

Full marks to the Deputy for trying that supplementary. We have already hammered out that matter.

The Minister's evasive answer confirms that we should keep asking.

What is the Minister going to promise this time?

Whatever I promise I will be here to implement.