Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if and when she will remove the mortgage interest supplement 30 hour rule and the prohibition on putting a house up for sale while mortgage interest supplement is being paid. [28049/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently almost 17,900 households benefiting from mortgage interest supplement, for which over €50m has been allocated for 2012. The Department's review of the administrative, policy and legal aspects of the mortgage interest supplement scheme was published in July 2010 in conjunction with the interim report of the Mortgage Arrears and Personal Debt Review Group. The final report of the Mortgage Arrears and Personal Debt Review Group was published in November 2010. These reports set out a number of recommendations which centered on the delivery of customer service improvement by ensuring that State support for those unable to deal with mortgage arrears is better targeted, consistent and easily understood. Allied with the focus on customer service improvements are recommendations that seek to ensure that lending institutions, borrowers and the Exchequer share responsibilities and commitments in a balanced way.

The report's recommendation to remove the 30 hour rule was made within the context of the mortgage interest supplement scheme becoming a time-bound payment. The recommendations set out in the Mortgage and Personal Debt Review Group's final report were considered by the Inter-Departmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group whose report to the Government's Economic Management Council was published on the 12th October 2011.

My Department's officials are currently examining this report and considering the implications of the recommendations which include the removal of the sale of house condition and the 30 hour rule.