Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2013
310. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are any proposals to review the Mortgage Interest Supplement to allow further categories to qualify for the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14716/13]
View answer311. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Social Protection the numbers of families in receipt of mortgage interest supplement in the following years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14718/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together.
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 14,000 mortgage interest supplement recipients for which the Government has provided €42 million for in 2013. I have set out below a tabular statement showing the number of mortgage interest supplement recipients from 2007 to 2012 and at end February 2013.
Following the Department’s review of the administrative, policy and legal aspects of the mortgage interest supplement scheme and the review of the Mortgage Arrears and Personal Debt Review Group, changes were made to the scheme in 2012.
To ensure that those who are in mortgage difficulty engage with their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) and avail of its forbearance arrangements, from June 2012 the mortgage interest supplement is not payable until applicants have agreed with their lender and complied with an alternative payment arrangement for a cumulative period of not less than 12 months. This process acknowledges that it is in the interest of both the lender and the borrower to address financial difficulties as speedily and effectively as circumstances allow.
In December 2012, to facilitate people who wish to trade down or downsize, the condition which provided that entitlement to mortgage interest supplement should be discontinued where the property is offered for sale was removed. The removal of this condition will allow persons to engage in selling their residence and remain eligible for mortgage interest supplement, subject to the other conditions of the scheme.
Any further changes to the scheme which would allow additional categories to qualify for the payment would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
TABULAR STATEMENT
Mortgage Interest Supplement – Recipient numbers
|
Year |
Recipients |
|
2007 |
4,111 |
|
2008 |
8,091 |
|
2009 |
15,101 |
|
2010 |
17,974 |
|
2011 |
18,988 |
|
2012 |
14,597 |
|
2013 |
13,755 (1) |
(1) End February 2013
