§ Mr. Kershawasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give an assurance that, in spite of the proposed reductions in the officer corps of the Army, there will be a requirement for 116W house purchase unless the borrower is earning more than £10 a week.
§ Mr. H. Brooke:I have made inquiries of the Building Societies' Association, and am assured that building societies do not refuse to advance loans for house purchase because a man is not earning more than £10 a week or any other particular sum. Building societies may, however, in the interest of the borrower discourage an application for an advance which is too large in relation to the applicant's capacity to repay; but many older houses can be purchased for sums within the capacity of people earning £10 or less a week, and I am informed that there are large numbers of building society borrowers with wages of less than £10 a week, and that they are satisfactory borrowers. In these circumstances. I do not think that further action on my part is necessary.