§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to give special help to newlyweds wishing to purchase their homes, especially in view of the 31½ per cent, rise in house prices in London and the 25½ per cent, increase in house prices in Great Britain over the last year.
§ Mr. StanleyIn addition to mortgage tax relief or option mortgage subsidy, assistance with house purchase costs for first.time buyers will be available under the home loan scheme. The Government will consider the introduction of a more effective scheme when circumstances permit. But the most immediate task must be to increase the output of homes. The Government have already taken steps to remove some of the constraints faced by private house builders through the curtailment of further expenditure under the Community Land Act prior to its repeal, the reduction in the rate of development land tax, and the bringing to an end of the redundant lands procedure so that public authorities will be free to sell land on the open market immediately it becomes available instead of first offering it for sale to other public sector bodies. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Mr. Shelton) on 13 June.—[Vol. 968, c. 255.]