Government

A scheme designed to provide a helping hand to home buyers shut out of the housing market will launch today.

Tougher action is needed to clampdown on "opaque and poorly regulated" commercial debt management companies and payday lenders, a report from MPs urged today.

MPs have backed increases in the price of stamps despite expressing concerns about the impact on vulnerable consumers and small firms.

Chancellor George Osborne is poised to water down plans to strip higher earners of child benefit, it was reported last night.

NHS prescriptions in England will rise 25p to £7.65 from April, MPs were told today.

Vulnerable people in England and Wales could get better protection from bailiffs after the Government revealed plans to change the way they are regulated. However, critics say the measures don't go far enough and could even cost debtors more.

Action is expected to be taken to reduce the £2 billion-a-year cost of insurance claims for whiplash in a bid to help cut the prices we pay.

Lloyds TSB has become the first of the major banks to unveil a junior cash Isa, over three months after the tax-free children's saving scheme was launched.

The proportion of first-time buyers is set to rise slightly this year, but they could face a narrower choice of properties due to a lack of first-time sellers, a study suggests.