§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will make a statement on his discussions with the building societies on the treatment of men's and women's application for financial assistance for house purchase.
§ Mr. BrookeI have had further discussions with the Building Societies' Association, and they have confirmed the statement made on 4th December that the policy of most of their members is to treat a woman applicant for a loan in exactly the same way as a man if she is in regular employment and earning a sufficient income. The Council of the Association have sent a copy of this statement to all their members commending it to them.
55WThe Council also wrote to 11 societies which might have been concerned with the cases quoted by the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Miss Burton) during the debate on 15th December. All are members of the Association, and all have given an unqualified assurance that the Association's statement represents their own policy and has their complete support.
The Association have further promised that they will investigate any cases of alleged discrimination against women applicants provided that the necessary details are supplied.