HC Deb 07 November 1988 vol 140 c82W
Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the total number of repossessions by building societies since May 1979.

Mr. Trippier

Figures are not available precisely for the period requested. There were 104,330 building society repossessions between 1 January 1979 and 30 June 1988.

Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give his estimate of the likely number of repossessions by building societies during 1988.

Mr. Trippier

I am not in a position to forecast the number of repossessions by building societies during 1988. However, the buoyancy of the economy, the growth in real earnings and the continuing fall in the numbers of people unemployed suggest that there may not be a marked reversal of the current down ward trend in the second half of the year.

Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the latest available figure for the number of repossessions by building societies so far in 1988; and if he will give the comparable figure for 1984.

Mr. Trippier

In the first half of 1988 there were 9,770 repossessions by building societies. In the first half of 1984 there were 5,120 repossessions.