§ Mr. DUCKWORTHasked the Minister of Health the aggregate loan indebtedness of all the local authorities in this country, indicating by aggregate totals how the different sums of money have been borrowed and on what security?
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Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe outstanding loan debt for capital purposes of all local authorities in England and Wales on the 31st March, 1924, amounted to £820,262,540. The sum of £61,822,041 was standing to the credit of sinking funds towards the repayment of so much of that loan debt as was repayable by means of sinking funds. The returns received by my Department do not afford sufficient details to enable me to give the precise information asked for in the last part of the question, but I may say that nearly the whole of the loans raised by local authorities have been borrowed on the security of their rates and other revenues.