Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The mortgage interest supplement scheme probably went on longer than initially anticipated. However, I knew people who were absent from work due to sickness or injury - maybe they had broken an ankle or whatever - for six, nine or ten months and who availed of the mortgage interest supplement scheme to get them over that hump. When they got back to work, they were able to go back to paying the full amount of the mortgage interest. In some cases it went on for a very long period - say, since 2000. Even in the case of lone parents on short-term sick leave, if they break an ankle or are temporarily out of work for six or ten months after an operation, are they expected to go into the mortgage process at that stage? They do not normally do so, apart from in the first quarter, if they have problems, they go into the bank or approach MABS or something and may then have to fill out a form with the bank and so on. However, I am speaking of a form of mortgage interest supplement for a short period to cover people who would only be out sick from work and could not afford mortgage payments over that period. Mortgage interest supplement helped get over the interest payments.