David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 275: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of full-time staff in his Department's treatment benefit section; the number of full-time staff in the section in 1997; the average number of claims received by the section each month; the average number of claims dealt with each month; the number of claims received and dealt with in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8611/05]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average length of time it takes to deal with a claim at his Department's treatment benefit section; the average length of time it took to deal with a claim in 1997; if his Department has set targets for dealing with claims within a particular timeframe; if these targets are being met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8612/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 276 together.

Under the treatment benefits scheme administered by my Department, persons insured under the Social Welfare Acts and their dependent spouses can avail of benefit in respect of a certain range of dental, optical and aural services subject to satisfying certain contribution conditions.

The recommended staffing level in 1997 was 89.5 posts in treatment benefit. A review of the workload in the treatment benefit area and the staff required to manage this work was carried out by the management services unit of the Department in 2003. The report recommended that 88 staff were required and assignments were made in 2004 to bring the staff numbers up to the required level. On 7 March 2005 all of these posts were occupied.

There were 641,798 treatment benefit claims received in 1997 which is an average of 53,483 per month. There were 821,770 claims received in 2004 an average of 68,480.83 per month. The average number of claims processed monthly in 2004 was exceptionally high due to a carry over of 70,484 claims from 2003, when a dispute with the Irish Dental Association lead to a delay in claims being made to my Department.

The published processing target, based on a monthly average of 57,000 claims received is that 90% of claims will be processed in a two week period. The average target met for 2004 was 72% but this increased towards the end of the year as staffing levels rose. The average target met in 2005 to date is 85% of claims processed in the two week period.