Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 320: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps he has taken to date or proposes to take to ensure that every effort is made to meet the requirements of those who have become unemployed and who find themselves with mortgage and other domestic commitments well in excess of anything likely to be manageable in their circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22092/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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People who are unemployed and unable to meet their mortgage commitments may be entitled under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to receive a supplement in respect of their mortgage interest. The scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive (HSE) on behalf of the Department. The purpose of mortgage interest supplement is to provide short term support to enable people 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.

Each application for mortgage interest supplement is determined by a community welfare officer taking account of the relevant legislative provisions and on the basis of the merits of each individual case. In addition, the HSE may make a single exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or HSE payment. There is no automatic entitlement to such payments. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the HSE.

People who are experiencing difficulties in meeting their mortgage repayments or other household bills should immediately contact their finance agency or the relevant utility company to discuss arrangements to address their issues. They should also contact the money advice and budgeting service (MABS) which provides assistance for people with financial difficulties. The service operates from 65 locations throughout the country and can be contacted either through a national telephone helpline or a website. The Government is providing over €18 million this year to the MABS to enable them to assist people with managing their finances and coping with debt problems.