§ Mr. Cantasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in order to assist young people to buy houses, he will adopt the Australian scheme, details of which are in his possession, of matching first mortgagee's building society deposits with grants from the central Government.
§ Mr. AmeryAssistance equivalent to cash grants is already available in this country, through tax relief on mortgage interest payments or option mortgage subsidy, which is not provided in Australia. In present circumstances, the most effective way of helping young people to buy houses is to speed up the rate of completion of new houses.