asked the Minister for the Environment the amount of money owed by each local authority for materials, machinery and employment, including overdraft accommodation, up to 31 December 1980.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Debts.
19.
Local authorities make returns to my Department which show for each local authority the aggregate amounts of unpaid bills and bank overdraft, if any. Preliminary returns for the period up to 31 December 1980 are at present being collected and I am arranging to forward to the Deputy as much information as will be available in the returns on the matters he has raised as soon as possible. The returns, however, give aggregate amounts and do not give a breakdown into the detail mentioned in the question.
Is the Minister aware that one local authority, according to a report in the local press, have been £6 million short for SDA loans? When giving his reply would it be possible to have it put in the Official Report, because giving me a separate reply is not telling the House exactly what the position is?
We do not have a breakdown of the unpaid bills of local authorities. I do not think there are any unpaid bills. For example, the Deputy mentioned employment and I cannot imagine any local authority owing anything under that heading. If people are employed on a contract basis they are paid when the bills are submitted. I do not think there is any money outstanding for SDA loans.
Would the Minister go back to his Department and ask the questions which he has not asked? It is ridiculous to suggest that a local authority clear all their accounts and do not owe anything at the end of a year. At the end of this year and under numerous headings, particularly the ones I mentioned, is it not true that every local authority are literally up to their necks in debt? Is that the position? Is the Minister aware of it?
The local authority of which I was a member before I took up this position ended the year with a surplus of £160,000. All local authorities are not in debt.
They were under a different Government.