Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 352: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the maximum amount of mortgage interest, aside from exceptional cases, the Health Service Executive considers to be reasonable to pay to a mortgage interest supplement claimant to meet their residential and other needs with a breakdown by area and family type. [13308/09]

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 supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution, currently €18, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €18 because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs.

In order to qualify for mortgage interest supplement, a person must satisfy a number of statutory qualifying conditions. Claims are determined on the basis of the merits of each individual case and in accordance with all of the statutory qualifying conditions. One of the statutory qualifying conditions is that the amount of the mortgage interest payable does not exceed such amount as the Health Service Executive considers reasonable to meet his or her residential and other needs.

When considering if the amount of mortgage interest is reasonable to meet residential and other needs, regard would normally be had to the household composition of the claimant and to the appropriate maximum rent limits in operation in that geographical area. Where the amount of mortgage interest exceeds the appropriate maximum rent limit, regard may be had to the average cost of purchase of accommodation appropriate to the circumstances of the claimant at the time of purchase of the residence in respect of which the supplement is being claimed.

In exceptional circumstances, the Health Service Executive may award a supplement where the amount of mortgage interest payable by a person exceeds such amount as the Health Service Executive considers reasonable to meet his or her residential and other needs. Such an exceptional supplement is payable under regulations (S.I. 412 of 2007, Article (10)(3)) for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the claim. The Department has commenced a review of the administration of the mortgage interest supplement scheme. The main purpose of the review is to consider how the mortgage interest supplement scheme can best meet its objective of catering for those who require assistance on a short-term basis, where they are unable to meet mortgage interest repayments on their sole place of residence. Legislative and operational issues arising in the existing mortgage interest scheme are also being examined.