Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to reform Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) for homeowners facing financial difficulties by (a) reducing the time between claiming SMI and receiving the first payment from 39 weeks to 13 weeks and (b) removing the zero earnings rule linked to universal credit that prevents people in any paid work from claiming SMI.

In the legacy system, those in work but on low income received support via the Tax Credit system. There was no help in Tax Credits towards mortgage interest payments and that principle was carried forward into Universal Credit.

Those with earned income will all benefit from the earnings taper and may also benefit from the work allowances. his means that they are in a better position to meet their mortgage commitments than those without earnings.

There are currently no plans to amend the Support for Mortgage Interest qualifying period or the zero earnings rule.