Sharp rise in rent and mortgage relief claims

THE number of people claiming emergency rent and mortgage relief supplements has soared by 12,000 in the past three months according to unpublished figures from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

The statistics show the number of people in the process of claiming some kind of rent supplement under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) has climbed from 75,163 last December to 84,666 by the end of March.

Just two years ago it stood at around 60,000, but community welfare officers said it would not be surprising if it passed 90,000 by the end of 2009, resulting in a doubling of claimants in just two years.

The figures also indicate the growing problem of homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments.

The mortgage interest supplement paid under the SWA provides short-term support to help householders meet mortgage interest repayments, and the number of claimants has jumped from 8,004 last December to 11,051 last month. As recently as 2007 the figure was consistent at 4,000.

As for Basic Payments, or weekly living money, also administered by community welfare officers, the number of claimants soared from 35,728 in December to 42,777 last month.

One community welfare officer (CWO), who did not wish to be named, said the figures indicted that the trend which emerged at the end of last year of more people being forced to rely on emergency social welfare payments is continuing.

“The graph continues to go up and it is getting steeper all the time,” the CWO said.

The figures emerged as Fine Gael accused Tanaiste Mary Coughlan of being unaware of Government plans for a new Social Welfare Bill.

Fine Gael Social and Family Affairs spokesperson Olwyn Enright said the Dáil’s schedule proposes debating the bill in late April, but claimed the Tanaiste had no knowledge of this when questioned yesterday.

Deputy Enright said: “You would think the Tánaiste, as deputy to the Taoiseach, and whose brief is job creation at a time of massive unemployment, would be aware of a crucial bill on social welfare. However, when I questioned the Tánaiste she wasn’t aware of any such legislation.

“Hundreds of thousands of people in receipt of benefits, whether they are pensioners, carers, budding entrepreneurs or the long-term unemployed, have been led to expect the worst from the Government in the forthcoming emergency Budget.

“It is worrying when the second most powerful person in the country doesn’t even know what the Government is planning to inflict on the ranks of benefit claimants, let alone when.”