Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 872: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a mortgage interest supplement application for persons (details supplied) in County Westmeath will be decided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33335/09]

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.

Under Article 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Allowance) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 412 of 2007), a supplement towards mortgage interest may be payable where the residence in respect of which the loan is payable is not offered for sale, the Executive is satisfied that the amount of mortgage interest payable by the claimant does not exceed such amount as it considers reasonable to meet his or her residential and other needs and where the Executive considers it is reasonable to award a supplement having regard to the amount of any arrears outstanding on the loan.

The Executive has advised that mortgage interest supplement has been refused to the people concerned as the qualifying conditions, as outlined above, are not satisfied. Notification of this decision issued on 29 September 2009. It is open to the people concerned to appeal against this decision to an appeals officer of the HSE and thereafter to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, if necessary.