Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 432: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of rent supplement; the amount this has cost in the years 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36917/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The table shows the number of recipients and expenditure on rent supplement in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 433: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a rent supplement application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford has not yet been processed despite the fact it was made a number of months ago; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36928/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mortgage interest supplement scheme is administered on behalf o f the Department by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of the scheme 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.

Article 10(2) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations 2007, provides that it shall be a condition of a person's entitlement to mortgage interest supplement that the Executive is satisfied that the amount of mortgage interest payable by the person does not exceed such amount as the Executive considers reasonable to meet his/her residential and other needs. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was refused mortgage interest supplement on the basis that the amount of mortgage interest payable by him exceeded such amount as was considered reasonable by the Executive to meet his residential and other needs.

The person concerned appealed this decision to an Appeals Officer of the Executive who upheld the decision to refuse mortgage interest supplement. A further appeal, made to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, was also unsuccessful.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 434: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason an application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford for rent supplement has not yet been processed despite the fact that the application was made a number of months ago; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36929/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mortgage interest supplement scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of the scheme 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 Executive has advised that the person concerned made an application for mortgage interest supplement. He was requested to provide documentation relating to a mortgage repayment protection policy. To date, this documentation has not been provided. The person concerned should contact his local community welfare officer to discuss his application for mortgage interest supplement.