§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1), in view of the fact that his Department is not involved in individual transactions regarding the £100 million building societies mortgage facilities for local authorities, he will list the criteria he employs to assess that satisfactory progress is being made in the granting of this sum to applicants for mortgages;
(2) in how many cases, where his regional officers have arranged for individual local authorities to liaise directly with particular building societies over the £100 million loan facility, the local authority has subsequently notified the regional officer that an agreement has been reached and has given specific details of it; and whether he will list such notifications.
§ Mr. FreesonI cannot add to the replies given to the hon. Member by my hon. Friend on 21st October—[Vol. 898, c.125–6.]—except to say that all housing authorities who wished to participate in the scheme have now been matched with one or more of the building societies, and that a growing number of mortgage offers are being made.
Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will have immediate talks with Southampton City Council and local building societies to ensure that mortgages are available in the area for pre-1919 properties: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreesonThe building societies have assured me that although the £100 million they are providing to augment local authority home loans this year is subject to the normal lending rules of the building societies these rules do not themselves preclude mortgage advances for the purchase of pre-1919 property. Southampton City Council is now in touch with five major building societies which have agreed to assist it. In these circumstances I do not believe that a meeting with the council would serve a useful purpose.
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