§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what analysis has been made by his Department of the reasons 405W for refusal in cases of a refusal of a mortgage by a building society where a person had been nominated by a local authority.
§ Mr. Alec JonesNo such analysis has been made by the Welsh Office.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total lending in Wales by building societies in 1977–78; and what was the average amount of the mortgage which was lent.
§ Mr. Alec JonesFrom a 5 per cent. sample it is estimated that in the three last quarters of 1977, 23,000 building society mortgages, with an average value of about £8,100 were given in Wales. Information for the first quarter of 1978 is not yet available.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons were nominated to building societies in Wales in 1977–78 by local authorities; and how many of these were in fact offered a mortgage by the building societies.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe figures for the full year are not available, but up to the end of December 1977, 2,205 persons had been nominated and 653 were offered a mortgage.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what funding has been earmarked by building societies for lending to persons nominated by local authorities in 1977–78; and how much of this funding is expected to be actually lent.
§ Mr. Alec Jones£8.5 million has been earmarked. About £5 million is expected to be lent.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authorities participate in the building society's support "lending scheme".
§ Mr. Alec JonesThirty-four.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many mortgages were advanced by local authorities in Wales in 1977–78; and if he will give comparative information for each year since 1974.
§ Mr. Alec JonesIn 1977, 2,587 advances for house purchase were made by local authorities in Wales. A further 1,740406W advances were made for conversion, improvement or repair work. Figures for the first quarter of 1978 are not yet available. For information relating to the years 1974 to 1976 I refer the hon. Member to Table 2.48 of the Digest of Welsh Statistics (No. 23), a copy of which is available in the Library.