To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the changes to the support offered under the income support for mortgage interest scheme which came into effect in January 2009 are applicable to people who were claiming before that date; and if he will make a statement. (277690)

The changes introduced to support for mortgage interest from 5 January 2009 apply to working age people who make new claims on or after that date.

People who claimed income support, employment and support allowance and jobseeker's allowance before 5 January, but who were still in a waiting period for support for mortgage interest on 4 January also benefit from these changes.

People who were already receiving support for mortgage interest before 5 January were unaffected.

All customers, existing and new, including those on pension credit, are helped by the freeze to the standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest at 6.08 per cent. until December 2009.