§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities and housing associations are operating mortgage rescue schemes; how many of them involve shared ownership; how many households these schemes have assisted; and what specific financial resources his Department has made available for these schemes.
§ Mr. YeoFigures are not available in the form requested.
Help with interest payments is available through income support to some mortgage borrowers, and all borrowers will have been helped by the 4 per cent. reduction in base rates over the past 10 months. In addition, there are several ways in which mortgage lenders can help borrowers who approach them early.
Local authorities may assist housing associations to buy the homes of borrowers in difficulty for them to occupy on shared ownership terms.