Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will support a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9. [23425/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme is administered by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department. The purpose of mortgage interest supplement is to provide 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.

Mortgage interest supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances, less a minimum weekly contribution of €24, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €24 because they are required, subject to certain income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have, over and above the appropriate supplementary welfare allowance rate, towards their accommodation costs.

Under social welfare legislation, a person is not entitled to a mortgage interest supplement where that person or his/her spouse is engaged in remunerative full-time work i.e. working 30 hours a week or more. The Executive has advised that there is no record of an application for mortgage interest supplement from the person concerned. If he wishes to make an application for such a supplement then he should contact the community welfare officer at his local Health Centre.

The person concerned is receiving jobseeker's benefit at the maximum weekly rate of payment. If he requires further information on his entitlement to job seeker's benefit or other benefits that he may be entitled to, he should contact his Social Welfare Local Office. Each Local Office has officers who are dedicated to providing information and are available to explain supports and services to people. The Department also operates a LoCall information line (1890 66 22 44) which people may call for information and guidance on their entitlements and information is available on the Department's website www.welfare.ie and the website of the Citizens Information Service at www.citizensinformation.ie.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the breakdown of claimants eligible for free schemes by category; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23428/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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A breakdown of the customers benefiting from the household benefits and free travel schemes by payment type for the last five years is set out in the tables.

(1) Does not include 2,433 Group Account Electricity customers.

(1) Does not include 2,610 Group Account electricity customers.

(1) Does not include 10,707 customers in receipt of Mobile Phone Allowance.

A comprehensive breakdown by scheme type is not readily available for these customers.