asked the Minister for Justice if an outline of the history of ground rents is available to him in any official publication and, if so, where; and if he will give an estimate of the numbers of institutions, companies, and individuals in receipt of ground rents.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ground Rents.
69.
Mr. R. Burke
I would refer the Deputy to Chapter 2 of the Report of the Ground Rents Commission made in 1964 and entitled "Report on Ground Rents", which is available in the Library, ref. Pr. 7783.
Information is not available to me as to the number of institutions, companies or individuals that are in receipt of ground rents.
I know that the Minister will find it difficult to answer this question since he is answering for the Minister for Justice who is obviously on some official business, but can the Minister say what is the Coalition Government's attitude to ground rents having regard to the recent call by various associations and in view of the forthcoming local elections? Would they clarify their attitude in regard to ground rents? Do they wish to abolish them?
This is hardly relevant.
Do they wish to prevent the creation of new ground rents? These are just some of the questions being asked about the attitude of the Coalition to ground rents generally. Can the Minister help the House and the country on this matter which will be a very big issue in the forthcoming local elections?
Mr. R. Burke
I cannot help the Deputy at this stage but I am sure the matter will be clarified in the future. It does not arise specifically from the question but in any case I do not think the Deputy would consider that I should answer such a fundamental question when standing in on behalf of another Minister.
I do not want to be unfair to the Minister and I have already pointed out that he is not expressing his own point of view but rather the written point of view of the Minister for Justice. That is proper and there are no complaints in that respect. But can the Minister say briefly what his own personal attitude is on ground rents? Does he favour their abolition? Does he consider ground rents, as we do on this side of the House, to be a penal form of taxation?
We cannot debate this matter. Question No. 70.
Can the Minister help us on this at all?
Mr. R. Burke
As a person who has to pay ground rents, as in the case of anybody who has to pay such moneys, I do not like having to do so. On the other hand they exist and it would not be for me, standing in for the Minister for Justice, to indicate what Government policy is in regard to the matter. The Deputy has already conceded that, I think.