§ Mr. Powleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will increase the house price limits for the home loan scheme.
§ Mr. GowMy right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for the Environment have reviewed the limits in order to ensure that at least two-thirds of first-time buyers in Scotland, Wales and the English regions will continue to qualify for the benefits of the scheme, provided they fulfil the savings conditions. The new limits reflect recent movements in house prices in each region. An order is being laid today to bring these new limits into effect from 20 July 1985.*
The new limits, compared with the present limits are as follows:
Area in which the property is situated Homeloan benefits available for homes costing up to New Limits £ Present Limits £ ENGLAND Northern region: counties of Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear 21,500 20,100 Yorkshire and Humberside region: counties of Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire 20,400 19,200 East Midlands region: counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire 22,100 20,400 East Anglia region: counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 26,000 23,700 South East region: London: County of Greater London 38,000 33,100 Rest of South East: counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshie, Surrey and West Sussex 33,500 29,400 South West region: counties of Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire; and the Isles of Scilly 28,200 25,700 West Midlands region: counties of Hereford and Worcester, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands 21,900 20,700 North West region: counties of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside 21,700 20,200 WALES 22,700 21,300 SCOTLAND 26,000 23,700 * Statutory Instrument 1985 No. 937: The Home Purchase Assistance (Price Limits) Order 1985.