Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason house insurance and mortgage protection policies, which are legally required to be in place by lending institutions are not taken into account as a necessary outgoing when assessing the means of an applicant for mortgage interest supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28538/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Mortgage interest supplement provides 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. There are approximately 13,000 mortgage interest supplement recipients for which the Government has provided €42 million for in 2013. The supplement assists with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only and is not intended to provide assistance for house insurance and mortgage protection. There are no provisions within the means assessment process to disregard these outgoings. Any change to the nature of the scheme which would have expenditure implications would have to be considered within a budgetary context.