Getting a mortgage with debt - Jan 2009 Whoop!

In Jan 2009 my debt will be below £20K. Only 14 months away! Once this milestone is achieved I shall start looking for a house and mortgage, with the aim to buy and be moved in for Xmas 2009. Unfortunately Alex is going to have to save the deposit, we will need about £7K and probably an interest only mortgage until the final bits of my debt are repaid. This does mean I will have to sit tight until then, with my mother going slowly more round the twist. I might email HSBC laying all down on the table and  asking for their honest advice to whether this is possible….