§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland which local authorities in Scotland have so far nominated applicants for loans under the building societies £7 million lending scheme; what has been the sum allocated to each of these authorities; and which building societies have provided the mortgages.
§ Mr. William RossThe details requested are not available: returns regarding the operation of the scheme have yet to be submitted. The scheme is, however, under way in a number of areas in Scotland. Building societies are allocating funds on the basis of individual loan applications and it has not yet been necessary to devise any block allocation for particular local authority areas. The lending criteria being applied are set out in SDD Circular No. 112/1975, a copy of which is in the Library.