At the start of the week, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Cathy Jamieson challenged Housing Minister Alex Neil to ‘stop dithering' and provide homeowners in Scotland with the same protection against repossession as those in England and Wales.

The Scottish government announced that a ‘repossessions group' would report by the end of April if they deemed that the law in Scotland needed to be changed. But the time for reports is over and immediate action is needed.  Shadow Health Secretary Cathy Jamieson said:

"Homeowners in Scotland deserve the same protection from repossession as those south of the border. Whilst we welcome the decision of the SNP to at least re-examine the issue, action is needed immediately.

"The number of people losing their homes has doubled as a result of the global economic crisis.  Ministers should listen carefully to the views of those who are dealing with repossessions on a day-to-day basis. Their message is that the Scottish Government needs to act now."