Written question asked by Justine Greening (Conservative) on Friday, 19 February 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 February 2010. It was answered by Helen Goodman (Labour) on Monday, 1 March 2010 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Leasehold: Service Charges

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forms of financial support her Department offers to low income lease holders facing major works service charges; what criteria are used to assess eligibility for such support; and what the total monetary value was of such support granted to each local authority in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 to date.

Answer: Leaseholders who are responsible for meeting major service charges under the terms of a long lease may receive assistance by way of Support for Mortgage Interest. Help may be provided towards certain service charges related to the fabric of the accommodation or towards the mortgage interest on a loan taken out to meet specific loans for repairs and improvements, provided they are entitled to an income related benefit such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance and state pension credit.The total monetary value for service charges are not recorded on the Department's computer system in a way which allows the information requested to be readily made available.

Secondary information