Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the regional spread of household debt since 2010.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) routinely produces estimates of household debt in the UK, at an aggregate level.

The latest available data on regional household debt, covering the period 2014 to 2016, shows that median household financial debt in the South East is the largest of any English region, while the West Midlands is the lowest. In the UK as a whole, household debt-to-income was 139% in Q3 2018. This remains significantly below the pre-crisis peak of 160% in Q1 2008. Debt interest payments as a share of income remain low by historical standards and below pre-crisis levels. Household net financial wealth as a proportion of income remains close to record highs and above pre-crisis levels.