asked the Minister for Finance in respect of each year from 1965 to date: (a) the total national debt (b) the total domestic debt (c) the total foreign debt and (d) the cost of debt repayments.

The cost of debt repayments, defined as scheduled repayments of foreign debt and national loans, and the total national debt broken down as between its domestic and foreign components for each year since 1965 is set out in tabular form below. The figures for the national debt and its domestic and foreign components, in respect of each year from 1982 onwards have been adjusted to reflect certain changes made in calculating the national debt which were incorporated in the 1987 finance accounts.