Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept that mortgage interest supplement should be a short-term measure. The problem is that there is no short-term measure in place at this time. Three years after the scheme closed for existing recipients, there were still 1,700 people receiving payment. After intensive support being provided by the Minister's Department and direct engagement with the financial institutions, 1,700 people were still getting payment under the scheme. Clearly, the other supports that are in place are not working. If 1,700 people were still on the scheme three years after it closed and 400 are still on it today, seven years after it closed, and given that the Minister has had the weight of her Department available to her and has had direct engagement with the financial institutions, it is obvious that the existing alternative mechanisms are not working.

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