I do not think that the Minister intended to mislead the House, but the drop in interest rates will make no difference to most mortgage payers, as the Halifax building society itself pointed out recently.

Mortgage repossession is the fastest-growing cause of homelessness in families. Will the Minister join me in pursuing an option advanced by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, together with certain housing associations and local authorities—the development of a mortgage rescue package designed to stop the dream of home ownership from turning into the nightmare of bed-and-breakfast accommodation paid for by the poll tax payer?