Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that the mortgage interest supplement has helped keep people in their homes. I would like to refer to the submission that FLAC and the Northside Community Law Centre made yesterday on this issue. The first point they made was about the lack of proper time to consider all of these cuts and changes which will have a massive impact on those people who get absolutely no say on what the budget will be about. They saw this abolition of the mortgage interest supplement as being contrary to the stated policy of the Government. They want the mortgage interest supplement to be retained at least until the Central Bank can produce satisfactory evidence that lenders have sustainable strategies to maintain people in their homes without the need for the supplement. That is a very valid request.

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