Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I support this important amendment. I read with interest the submission made by FLAC in regard to it. I tabled questions to the Minister on the issue after Committee Stage last week because there was not much concrete information on the operation of the mortgage interest supplement. One of the interesting things I discovered is that there are no statistics on the number of people who applied or were refused this supplement unless the case went to appeal. It is difficult to assess the adequacy of any figures given in the Estimates if we do not even know the number of people who have sought the mortgage interest supplement. Nobody looks for a mortgage interest supplement unless they cannot meet their mortgage. It is important that we examine the overall operation of the mortgage interest supplement.

The timeframe of appeals has also been brought to my attention. The replies I received from the Minister indicated that the average duration of a supplementary welfare allowance appeal last year was eight weeks, while the average duration of appeals in general was 22 weeks. It is not clear under which category the mortgage interest supplement comes, whether it is the overall figure or the figure for supplementary welfare allowance appeals. According to FLAC there are considerable difficulties in that regard. It would be worthwhile if changes were made to the system.

As of 21 November 2008, some 7,347 people were in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, an increase of, 3,236 people, more than 80%, compared to this time last year. In many instances more people are affected as families are involved. Bearing in mind the amount allocated for mortgage interest supplements in the budget, I am extremely concerned about the sufficiency of the amount provided in the Estimates and I intend to raise the matter next week during the select committee's discussion of the Estimates.

I am sure colleagues have a similar experience of being inundated with people coming to them, sadly, many of whom have been refused mortgage interest supplement, but who still need it. The criteria for qualification need to be changed because community welfare officers are deciding off their own bat, due to the way the regulations are framed, that they will not help if they deem a person's mortgage to be too high. It is for the very reason that the mortgage is too high that people cannot pay it in the first place. That area must be examined.

Unfortunately, amendments must be tabled in such a way that they do not impose a potential charge on the Exchequer, which means we cannot call for an increase in the amount allocated. I made the point last week, and it is important to reiterate it, that if people's homes are repossessed they will still cost the State money. Such people will probably cost the State more money because they will get rent supplement after the obligatory qualification period and many people will go back on local authority housing lists. While it will not be the Minister for Social and Family Affairs who pays for those houses — it will be another Department — it will still cost the Exchequer. It makes far more sense to support people to stay in their homes and the supplement needs to be examined in order to achieve that end.

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