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1109209

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of replacing the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme with a loans-based system from April 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	240106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>Support for Mortgage Interest is designed to provide protection against the threat of repossession. The new loans system provides exactly the same level of support and provides exactly the same level of protection from repossession as the previous system. We continue to work closely with the lending industry to ensure the scheme delivers its intended aim. The conversion of SMI from a benefit to a loan is estimated to save around £140m in welfare spending.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is using evidence from a number of sources to assess the impact of the conversion to a loan on an on-going basis, including management information on claimant take up and feedback from stakeholder groups, including via our regular liaison with UK Finance, to assess whether there are unintended consequences for particular groups.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 12:59:13 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1608803

	registered interest
	date	29/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when support for mortgage interest will be implemented; and what that figure will be.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	176820
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>An increase to the rate paid through the SMI scheme was triggered on Wednesday 29<sup>th</sup> March 2023. The rate will increase from 2.09% to 2.65% and will be implemented no later than 10<sup>th</sup> May 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The rate of SMI payments only changes when the Bank of England’s average mortgage rate differs by 0.5 percentage points or more from the standard interest rate.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 17/04/2023 10:46:47 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

816971

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to make people in receipt of the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme aware of forthcoming changes to that scheme; and what assessment he has made of the long-term effect on the security of the recipients' homes as a result of people moving from a benefit to an interest-bearing loan.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	121398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2018 answer text <p>A managed transfer process has begun with all existing recipients of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) benefit receiving information about the new scheme in advance. The exercise to give SMI claimants information about the new scheme began in July 2017 and will continue until mid-February 2018.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants are given information about how the SMI loan will work, about alternatives to the loan and organisations that can offer further information. This is followed up by a telephone call to explain the information and answer any questions. A leaflet containing Frequently Asked Questions is issued to support this informed discussion.</p><p> </p><p>SMI loans will be available to all claimants who currently qualify for SMI as a benefit. The new loans scheme will continue to provide robust protection against repossession to all eligible claimants in times of need. The level of support available will be calculated in the same way as under the current system and claimants and mortgage lenders will not see any difference in the payments they receive. There is no reason to expect lenders to behave any differently to now and we do not anticipate that this measure will lead to an increase in the number of homes that are repossessed. Claimants may change their mind whether to take or decline a loan at any time.</p><p> </p><p>Recovery of SMI loans will not be pursued until the property is sold or transferred. If the amount of equity available after the sale of the property is less than the amount due to be recovered the balance will be written off.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 10/01/2018 15:24:58 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

843683

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people and organisations which offer advice on changes to the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme are appropriately qualified and regulated.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	128024
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2018 answer text <p>All current recipients of Support for Mortgage Interest will be contacted and given information about the changes. They will not be given financial advice but will be informed that such advice is available should they require it. Organisations offering financial advice are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 22/02/2018 12:24:52 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

984765

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of occasions the time taken to authorise payment following an application for a Support for Mortgage Interest loan has exceeded her Departmental expectation of two weeks.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	177818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>Where a claimant expresses an interest in taking up the offer of an SMI loan they will be sent a loan agreement and charge form to complete and return. They also receive detailed guidance on how to complete these documents.</p><p> </p><p>The Department determines that 6 weeks is a sufficient time period for claimants to make a decision whether to take up the offer of an SMI loan. The Department ask that the loan agreement and charge form are returned as soon reasonably possible to enable them to be processed efficiently. A reminder is sent out after six weeks if the documents have not been received. Claimants may change their mind whether to take or decline a loan at any time.</p><p> </p><p>Returned forms are checked for accuracy, and if correctly completed we would expect that, in the majority of cases, SMI Loan payments would be authorised within two weeks but this is dependent upon claimants benefit pay cycle.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold the data requested regarding how often payments are authorised within two weeks.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/10/2018 13:52:59 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury