Private investors could be used to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder, the executive signalled yesterday.
Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, said it was "possible" that the private sector could get involved in so-called shared equity schemes, where housebuyers pay for a proportion of the property and another party pays for the remainder.
Ms Sturgeon's comments came just a week after she ruled out any expansion of private sector involvement in the NHS. So far, only the public sector has been involved in the shared equity scheme, with housing associations providing part of the capital to help people buy their first home.
But appearing before the local government and communities committee for the first time since the election, Ms Sturgeon said she was relaxed with the scheme being extended to involve the private sector.
She said: "We are keen to talk to mortgage lenders and others about how to lever in financial support to help people get on the property ladder."
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