§ Mr. Simon CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total expenditure over the last 12 months in benefits paid to unemployed persons to assist with mortgage repayments; and what is the total number of individuals who have claimed mortgage relief over this period.
§ Miss WiddecombeHelp with mortgage interest is given through income support. The estimated amount included in income support for unemployed persons for mortgage interest in 1990, the latest year for which information is available, is £207 million, paid to some 88,000 claimants.
Note: The estimates are rounded to the nearest 1 million and 1,000 claimants.
Source: Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry, May 1990.