asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reply he has sent to the recent Building Societies Association formulations on low-start mortgages for first-time house buyers.

The Government have accepted in principle a scheme put forward by the Council of the Building Societies Association to give effect to proposals to help first-time house purchasers on a selective basis by the deferment of part of the mortgage payment due in the initial years of a loan. Discussions on the technical aspects of the scheme are now well advanced.