Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress made to date with regard to consideration by his Department of a new mortgage support plan; when the consultation period will be complete; if the scheme will be directed specifically towards those currently priced out of the property market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15199/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Housing supports in general, including the more recent Rental Accommodation Scheme, are provided by local authorities. However, I am anxious that all avenues are explored to provide financial support for people on long-term rent supplementation who may be in a position to purchase their own home.

In this regard a study overseen by my Department and the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government was commissioned from Goodbody Economic Consultants to examine the potential of supplementing home ownership specifically among the client base that comes within the rent supplementation arrangements. The study was aimed at identifying possible viable alternative approaches to meeting housing needs for long-term rent supplement recipients. These alternative approaches would be in addition or complementary to the range of social housing options currently provided for by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government through local government initiatives. The consultants are finalising their report and their conclusions and recommendations will be considered by officials of both Departments. Since initiating the study, a number of significant developments in relation to the provision of housing for people on low incomes have been announced. These initiatives will be taken into account by officials when reviewing the report.

Some of the initiatives taken include:

allowing for the continuation of rent supplement to qualified persons moving into full-time employment while local authorities are sourcing accommodation under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), and

an improvement in the disregards applying to additional income in the assessment of means for rent supplement purposes. At present up to €60 and 50% of additional

income between €60 and €90 is disregarded in the assessment of means for rent supplement purposes. The 2007 Social Welfare and Pensions Act provides that the first €75 of additional household income is disregarded and that 25% of any additional household income, with no upper income limit, can also be disregarded.

Another development includes proposals by the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to introduce an 'incremental purchase' scheme for social housing tenants and prospective tenants based on the development of the 'shared equity' concept whereby tenants would be allowed to use their rental payments to build up an equity stake in a local authority house in an incremental fashion in return for paying a premium on the rent and taking over responsibility for the maintenance of the dwelling. The objective is to make it possible for households with incomes substantially lower than for affordable housing to start on the path to home ownership. This scheme is outlined in the recent Statement on Housing Policy "Delivering Homes and Sustaining Communities".

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the measures he will take to address the concerns raised by the Committee of Public Accounts regarding family doctors who give sick certificates to persons who are later consistently found by Government medical assessors to be capable of work. [15325/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Deputy refers is that my Department should keep under close review those GPs who certify persons as incapable for work and who are later consistently found capable by the Department's medical assessors. Medical certifiers, who are in the main general practitioners or hospital doctors, enter into a contract with my Department that requires them to medically examine persons claiming illness or injury benefit and to certify as accurately as possible the specific disease or ailment that renders a person incapable of work. The contract requires them to refuse to issue medical certificates if the person's condition does not justify it. The terms of the GPs' contract with my Department specifies that if a medical certifier fails to abide by the terms of the agreement, penalties may be applied, including termination of contract.

They are also issued with very detailed guidelines which require that the certifier must be satisfied that the patient is incapable of work and that they regularly review each case and ensure that a final certificate is issued, as appropriate, without delay. The guidelines also advise certifiers, in the patient's interest, to consider whether certification and advice to stay off work is the most appropriate way to manage a patient's care as prolonged absence from work may sometimes cause deterioration in a patient's condition. Medical evidence submitted in support of a claim, based on GP certification, is systematically reviewed by medical assessors within my Department. I think it is worth bearing in mind that, in all cases of incapacity, there is scope for individual medical interpretation based on the certifier's perception of the nature of the incapacity and the type of work involved. Thus, when a case is reviewed by the Department's medical assessors, who are independent and impartial in their assessments, the fact that they may express a different opinion to that of the certifier is not an implication that a claimant has been incorrectly certified.

However, if it were to emerge that a disproportionate number of customers certified by any particular certifier were found capable of work by medical assessors, this should be investigated. While no such unusual pattern of certification has come to attention to date, it is accepted that the computer systems must be enhanced to enable a systematic approach to review and monitoring of such possible outcomes. To this end, as part of the recent review of the Medical Review and Assessment function, recommendations were made for the development of new systems include the functionality necessary to enable this to take place. This will underpin a more structured system of review and monitoring of certifiers' performance by my Department.