Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and awarded disability allowance at a higher rate and payment backdated accordingly. [2822/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Disability Allowance is a weekly Allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under age 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year. The allowance is subject to both medical assessment and a means test. The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate of Disability Allowance of €87.40 and a Child Dependant Allowance of €26.00. The person's file is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector with a view to reviewing the Disability Allowance payment.

The Social Welfare Inspector wrote to the person concerned on 19 January 2009 to request confirmation of certain legal and financial matters. To date the requested information and documentation have not yet been provided. A final decision will be given on this person's application for an increase of Disability Allowance upon receipt of the Social Welfare Inspector's report. The person will be notified directly of the outcome.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Dublin who is applying for mortgage interest supplement has been required to produce a letter stating his or her father's role as guarantor of his or her original mortgage loan; the relevance of same to the application for mortgage assistance; the further reason he or she continues to be asked for more documentation; and if she will review the application process and guidelines for community welfare officers for this payment. [2867/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes mortgage interest supplement, is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The supplement assists with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only. The Executive has advised that the person concerned has been awarded mortgage interest supplement. The Executive has further advised that payment of mortgage interest supplement will issue to the person concerned shortly.

One of the statutory conditions for receipt of mortgage interest supplement is that, in the opinion of the Executive, the person must have been in a position, at the time the loan agreement was entered into, to meet the repayments under that agreement. Accordingly, in determining entitlement to mortgage interest supplement, a community welfare officer may examine the original loan application, supporting documentation, including any documentation in relation to a guarantor, and records of repayments in order to assess the capacity of the person to make a long-term commitment to repayment of the loan in question. It is a matter for the community welfare officer to a make a decision on entitlement based on all of the facts of the case.

I do not consider that any changes in the application process are required at this time. However the operational guidelines of the scheme are kept under review to ensure that it meets the objective of catering for those who require assistance on a short-term basis.