Mortgages: Government Assistance

Richard Burden
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Birmingham, Northfield constituency have (a) applied for and (b) been granted assistance under the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey
Homeowners Mortgage Support is part of the range of assistance available at every stage to households struggling with their mortgage. The scheme encourages lenders to allow households who have suffered a temporary income shock to defer some of their interest payment, if this is necessary to make their monthly payment affordable. The Department plans to publish information in December on the number of households who have been helped through Homeowners Mortgage Support. Statistics from the Financial Services Authority show that more than 135,000 borrowers were benefiting from forbearance offered by their lender at the end of June 2009, an increase of 17 per cent. on the previous quarter.