A majority of MPs oppose tougher limits on maximum mortgages which the government plans to introduce on January 1, news agency ANP says.

They want housing minister Stef Blok to scrap the plans and have called for a debate with the minister as soon as possible.

The maximum amount people hoping for a mortgage can borrow from their bank will be cut by up to 7% from January 1 if the changes go ahead. The family spending institute Nibud has drawn up new ways of calculating domestic spending needs, which have led to the lower limits.

Nibud used to calculate maximum loans using spending power and mortgage interest rates but has revised the system to include potential spending such as higher healthcare costs and children.

Blok told MPs he does not want to raise the new limits and that the aim is to stop people getting into financial difficulty by taking out mortgages which are too high.

Mortgage providers are required to accept the new limits when assessing mortgage requests.

The change means a family with gross income of €50,000 a year will be able to borrow a maximum €228,000 from next year, compared with €244,000 in 2014.