§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will sanction the application of the London Borough of West Ham for permission to obtain a housing mortgage loan of £750,000 from the Leek and Westbourne Building Society or ensure that such a sum of money is made available in some other form.
§ Mr. MellishDiscussions are proceeding with the Building Societies Association as to whether satisfactory arrangements can be made for ensuring that any such lending by building societies to local authorities for the purpose of advances for house purchase is genuinely in substitution for building societies' own lending on house purchase, and that the term of the building societies' loans cover the expected average life of the resulting mortgages. There is, of course, no London Borough of West Ham but my right hon. Friend will deal with any application by Newham in the light of decisions reached as a result of these discussions.