§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the size of the public debt in Northern Ireland; and by how much it has risen or decreased since May 1979.
§ Mr. AlisonDetails of the public debt 31 March 1979 and 31 December 1980 are as follows:
31 March 1979 31 December 1980 £ million Rent 8.7 12.5 +3.8 Rates 3.9 4.2 +0.3 Electricity 12.0 13.4 + 1.4 Gas 3.7 3.6 -0.1 Total 28.3 33.7 +5.4 The rate debts figures are not fully comparable because those for December 1980 do not include any debt arising during the current financial year. This will not have been assessed until March 1981.