Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much notice claimants were given on the end of support for mortgage interest as a benefit.

The changes to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) were initially set out in the Summer Budget published in July 2015. The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 enabled the Loan for Mortgage Interest Regulations to be laid in July 2017. A managed information provision process began in July 2017 to inform all existing recipients of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) benefit of the new scheme. Claimants are sent information about how the SMI loan will work, about possible alternatives to the loan and organisations that may offer further information and support. This is followed up by telephone calls from Serco to explain the information and answer any questions. A leaflet containing Frequently Asked Questions is issued after this informed discussion. 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, including all terms and conditions, to complete and return. They also receive detailed guidance on how to complete these documents. The regulations contain provision for all claimants to be given at least 6 weeks (longer in some cases) from the loan offer to make a decision whether to accept or decline an SMI loan before their SMI benefit payments cease.