Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a disability were claiming Support for Mortgage Interest in 2017-18.

Eligibility for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is not dependent on disability status and the Department does not hold administrative data on the disability status of claimants of SMI.

The Department has developed specific processes to identify and provide additional support to vulnerable customers during the transition to SMI loans.

If the customer has an Appointee on our records, we will write to this person to establish if the claimant is capable of undertaking the discussion and making an informed decision. A legally appointed Deputy is required to undertake a financial decision and the Department can appoint such a representative where appropriate. There is provision in the regulations to continue to make SMI benefit payments pending completion of the legal process to appoint a legal representative.