Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the clothing allowance will be offered to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25576/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular circumstances of the case.

The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for an exceptional needs payment from the person concerned. The Executive has further advised that the person concerned should contact the community welfare officer at his local health centre if he wishes to discuss any entitlements he may have under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will arrange for her Department to collect information and statistics on the number of people who apply for mortgage interest supplement; the number of people who have been refused mortgage interest supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23446/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of mortgage interest. The purpose of the supplement is to provide short term 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.

There are currently 12,900 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, an increase of 213% over those in payment at end 2007.

The mortgage interest supplement scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department and is delivered locally by community welfare officers. The operational arrangements for the processing of applications and the payment to qualifying individuals, is a matter for the respective community welfare division areas.

A community welfare officer interviews applicants for mortgage interest supplement when they first present in order to determine if they satisfy the statutory qualifying conditions for entitlement. They also ensure that all the documentation required to make a decision has been provided. Claim details are recorded on the computer system in cases where it is established that mortgage interest supplement is payable. However, given the considerable pressures on the service claim details are not always recorded on the system where no entitlement has been established to mortgage interest supplement, where an appeal has been lodged with an appeals officer of the HSE, case claim details are recorded electronically.

For this reason, reliable statistics are not available on the total number of people who applied for and were refused mortgage interest supplement. The review of the administration of the mortgage interest supplement scheme is progressing. 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. The review will also examine operational aspects of the scheme including best practice in the recording, collating and maintenance of statistical data on the mortgage interest supplement scheme.