Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount by county, city or town council that was sought in commercial rates in 2004 and 2005; the rate in euro for each authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39886/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested, which is derived from the adopted budgets of local authorities, is set out in the following table.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the guidance he has given to local authorities in the use of development contributions for non-capital purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39887/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under section 48 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 money paid as development contributions can only be applied as capital for public infrastructure and facilities. Circular Letter PD 4/2003, issued by my Department on 27 June 2003, advised that as such they cannot be used to pay current costs. The circular also advised that refurbishment, upgrading, enlargement or replacement of existing infrastructure should only be produced from development contributions where they involve adding value to a network, rather than simply the maintenance of a network that already exists.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 288: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent of the debts by county, city and town council at the end of 2005 in both their capital and revenue accounts; the instructions that have gone from his Department to those councils where his Department is concerned about their debts; if the needs and resources model is designed to factor in such debt scenarios; the action his Department will take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39888/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The data requested are set out in the attached table and is derived from local authority 2005 Annual Financial Statements. Capital account debt includes mortgage-related debt and non-mortgage debt; mortgage related loans, although classified as debts, are matched by the income stream from repayments of individual borrowers. Overdrafts are used to fund temporary cash deficits in respect of both capital and revenue services. Borrowing by local authorities must be sanctioned by the appropriate Minister and, in each case, such sanction is conditional on the local authority being able to meet the loan repayments. In light of the control processes currently in operation prior to sanctioning loans, no further action has been necessary in relation to the level of loans raised by local authorities. The Needs and Resources Model is used for the distribution of general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund. In calculating allocations, the model takes into account all current expenditure by local authorities including expenditure on loan repayments.