asked the Minister for the Environment the total indebtedness of local authorities on 31 December 1979.
204.
Written Answers. - Local Authority Indebtedness.
203.
asked the Minister for the Environment the amount of the current debt of each local authority, the amount paid by way of interest on each debt, and the total amount of all local authority debts and interest charges.
: With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together.
The estimated capital indebtedness of local authorities at 31 December 1979 was about £1,120 million. At this stage information on the indebtedness of individual local authorities at that date is not available. Particulars of the indebtedness of individual local authorities are included in the Annual Returns of Local Taxation published by my Department. The returns in respect of 1976 were presented to both Houses on 20 April 1979. I hope to have the returns for 1977 published in the near future.
Interest paid by a local authority on capital borrowings extends over the full term of the various loans now comprising the indebtedness of the authority. Information is not available in my Department on the amounts of interest so paid by individual local authorities or by all local authorities combined. It is, however, estimated that the total amount paid by local authorities in 1979 in interest on their capital borrowings was about £94 million. A breakdown of this amount on an individual local authority basis is not available.