Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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161. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the circumstances surrounding the refusal of mortgage support in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be reviewed in view of their ongoing difficult circumstances following their revised bank loan arrangement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47257/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The claim for mortgage interest supplement in respect of the person concerned was disallowed on 23 December 2011. This decision was upheld by the social welfare appeals office in an appeal decision issued on 27 July, 2012.

The grounds for disallowance were:

a) The excess income of the person concerned over the supplementary welfare allowance rate plus the statutory household contribution to their housing costs was greater than the amount of qualifying interest.

b) Information requested for an assessment of means was not supplied

c) The circumstances of the person concerned at the time they took out the mortgage indicate that they could not have reasonably afforded the payments from their own resources

d) The arrears outstanding on the loan were such that it would not have been reasonable to assume that payment of mortgage interest supplement would prevent repossession of their home

e) The person concerned had not shown that the full loan was a qualifying loan for the purpose of mortgage interest supplement.

As the mortgage interest supplement scheme was closed to new claims on 1 January, 2014, this Department is not in a position to accept a further application for mortgage interest supplement.