§ Mr. Sydney Chapmanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the number of mortgages taken out for residential properties in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what were the comparative figures for each of the previous four years;
(2) what is his estimate of the average residential mortgage taken out in the last financial year.
§ Mr. AmeryThe main institutional lenders in the United Kingdom made 730,000 mortgage advances in 1971. The comparable figures for the four preceding years, starting in 1967, were 595,000, 579,000, 519,000 and 616,000. The average advance made in 1971 was £4,090.