Beckett in row over HomeBuy sales

Housing minister Margaret Beckett has denied opposition claims that no properties have been sold through the government’s HomeBuy scheme, although she is recorded on Hansard as saying so. Ms Beckett says that although she has no ‘solid figures’, she has ‘met at least one couple’ who have participated in the scheme, and developers have told her that they have registered demand from more than 30,000 prospective buyers. The scheme, which the government increased funding of by £80 million in last week’s Budget, offers buyers an interest-free loan of up to 30 per cent of the purchase price, and could make 19,000 homes available to potential buyers.