Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2016
276. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to recommend the restoration of mortgage interest supplement to the Department of Finance or to the budget oversight committee in the Houses of the Oireachtas. [15684/16]
View answer278. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to restore mortgage interest supplement in budget 2017. [15686/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 278 together.
There are currently approximately 2,700 people in receipt of the mortgage interest supplement scheme for which the Government has provided over €7 million for in 2016. The scheme was discontinued for new applicants from 1 January 2014, with customers availing of this support prior to 1st January 2014 retaining entitlement until the closure of the scheme on 1st January 2018.
The continued payment of mortgage interest supplement does little to assist families in improving the long term difficulty in addressing their mortgage problem. The most appropriate way in which families experiencing mortgage difficulties can be supported is through on-going engagement with their lender to explore sustainable solutions.
It is expected that over the remaining period existing customers will exit the scheme through sustainable solutions being put in place with their lenders; securing employment; or exit strategies sponsored by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, such as the Mortgage to Rent Scheme. My Department is also considering referral of cases to the Dedicated Mortgage Arrears MABS (DMA MABS) service. This service is focused on post-MARP cases and has been established across 26 locations assisting mortgage holders to assess the extent to which the option on offer from the lender is the best and most sustainable option, and where required, negotiating with the lender on the client’s behalf.
Together with the Insolvency Service of Ireland, MABS has established a national network of Court Mentors to attend relevant Courts nationwide, where repossessions hearings are listed, to provide support to distressed borrowers and direct them to the appropriate services which can provide them with the necessary help and assistance.
It is my view that these are appropriate measures to assist people experiencing mortgage arrears on their homes and guidance has recently issued to the Department’s staff in the Community Welfare Service to inform persons experiencing financial difficulty of these additional supports.
