§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will modify income support regulations to enable the calculation of housing costs to take into account compulsory mortgage-related insurance premiums.
§ Miss WiddecombeWe have no plans to do so. Under present rules an amount may be included in the assessment of income support for mortgage interest payments, but no help is given with capital repayments or with the premiums on endowment policies taken out to repay the capital loan. This reflects our policy of helping people keep the roof over their heads without the benefit system being used to acquire a capital asset. No specific amounts are included for house insurance, but income support personal allowances are intended to cover normal day-to-day living expenses such as these.