§ Mr. Andersonasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a progress report on the agreement with the building societies to allocate an additional £5 million for mortgages in Wales to fill the gap caused by the suspension of local authority mortgages; and, in particular, whether he is satisfied with the take-up.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:Applications through local authorities for such mortgages have been lower than expected. But there are indications that publicity for the scheme has encouraged many borrowers to apply direct to a building society rather than to a local authority and I am satisfied that the agreement is making a valuable contribution to the housing market in Wales.