asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he is giving to reform of the present law of mortgages in the light of proposals of the Law Commission working paper No. 99 of 1986, with a view to simplification of the law and provision of greater protection for home owners.

I have been asked to reply.This working paper was published as recently as October 1986 and has been circulated by the Commission as a consultation paper for comment and criticism only. The paper contains a number of proposals but these do not represent the final views of the Commission. Consideration will be given to the final recommendations once they have been produced as a report.