Housing Minister John Healey has announced more help for families facing repossession of their home with the doubling of extra funding for free, on-the-spot, legal advice in courts.

The announcement came as the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) announced they had revised their forecast of repossessions for 2009 downwards from 75,000 to 65,000. The CML said a range of government and industry initiatives mean that more people are making contact with their lenders and in most cases getting help.

Since last summer the extra Government cash for an additional 76 court desks has meant there is free on-the-day legal advice and representation for people facing repossessions or eviction hearings available in all parts of England.

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"It is real backstop help for those closest to the point of losing their home," explained Mr Healey, "All's not lost, even in court. In four out of five cases, the court desk advisers stop immediate repossession or eviction. Over the last year we've seen this work to help people keep their homes, so I'm doubling the extra money to support this service to £1.5million."

Free legal advice and representation through court desks is just one of a range of help measures introduced by Government to protect people's homes. It has a proven track record in preventing immediate repossession action when people attend court.

Lenders must now treat customers fairly, using repossession as a last resort. The Government has also put in place a special schemes for some of the most vulnerable, elderly and disabled people at risk of having their home repossessed.

Recent Ministry of Justice figures for the first three months of 2009 show a 40% drop in lenders bringing repossession claims to court.

(CD/JM)