§ 16. Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what allocation he intends to make to local housing authorities for mortgage lending in 1977–78; and what are the comparable figures for each year since 1974.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThere is no separate allocation for mortgage lending in 1977–78, but the block allocations, amounting to almost £15 million, include provision for lending. Details were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley) on 6th April 1977. No specific allocations for lending were made until 1976–77, when the figure was £17.7 million, of which £14 million was taken up.
§ Mr. ThomasIs the Minister as satisfied now as he was a year ago that the building societies are coming in to fill the gap that has been caused by a reduction in mortgage lending by local authorities?
§ Mr. Alec JonesNo, I am not satisfied now, nor was I satisfied then. What I indicated to the hon. Gentleman was that the extra £5 million that has been reserved for this purpose by the building societies will partly replace the cut that has been announced. I repeat that the extra £8½ million that the building societies have set aside for lending in Wales in 1977–78 will likewise be put to good use by local authorities in Wales. It is hoped that the money will be used for priority cases first.