Vol. 342 No. 10
asked the Minister for the Environment if he considers the present SDA loan of £14,000 to be adequate to enable a person or persons to finance realistically the purchase or construction of a home; if he will consider raising this amount to a more realistic level; if he will further consider revising the present £7,000 eligibility wages limit for SDA loan applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
380.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will increase the income limit for local authority loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together. The continued high level of demand for loans under the SDA scheme is evidence of its relevance under the present loan and income limits. While I have no immediate proposals to increase those limits, I am keeping the matter under continuing review.
Persons who are not accommodated by the SDA loan scheme are catered for by the other lending agencies, principally the Housing Finance Agency and the building societies.
Generally, there is no evidence at the present time that the availability of mortgage finance is preventing persons from buying their own homes or acting as a constraint on private housing output.
