Written answers

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Application Forms

Photo of Patrick NultyPatrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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322. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 257 of 10 December 2013, if she will review the decision on physical inspection of the form as there appears to have been a technical-accounting error in the calculation (details supplied) of the applicant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5151/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned was in receipt of a mortgage interest supplement from March 2008 until September 2013 when his claim was reviewed and he was found to have no further entitlement. Under Social Welfare legislation a person in receipt of weekly supplementary welfare allowance is required to make a minimum contribution towards their rent. In his case the minimum contribution was €35.00 and his mortgage interest was €31.84; he was therefore considered to have the means to pay his weekly mortgage interest, and had no entitlement to a rent supplement. This decision was upheld on appeal by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 13 January 2014.

There is a discrepancy on the application form which his lender completed on his behalf on 30 August 2013. The gross monthly mortgage interest payment is given as €138.00 and this is the amount relevant to the assessment; the gross interest paid for 2013 is stated by his lender to be €2198.47, which was provided in August 2013. However this would appear to be an error and actually relates to 2012. To clarify matters we are in the process of writing to the person concerned with a view to establishing the correct position whereupon we will contact him with updated position.

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