The mortgage interest supplement scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of the scheme is to provide 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.
Article 10(2) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations 2007, provides that it shall be a condition of a person's entitlement to mortgage interest supplement that the Executive is satisfied that the amount of mortgage interest payable by the person does not exceed such amount as the Executive considers reasonable to meet his/her residential and other needs. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was refused mortgage interest supplement on the basis that the amount of mortgage interest payable by him exceeded such amount as was considered reasonable by the Executive to meet his residential and other needs.
The person concerned appealed this decision to an Appeals Officer of the Executive who upheld the decision to refuse mortgage interest supplement. A further appeal, made to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, was also unsuccessful.