Written answers

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Treatment Benefit Scheme Data

Photo of Shane CassellsShane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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709. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who availed of dental benefit through the treatment benefit scheme in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6451/19]

Photo of Shane CassellsShane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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710. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who availed of optical benefit through the treatment benefit scheme in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6452/19]

Photo of Shane CassellsShane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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711. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who availed of aural benefit through the treatment benefit scheme in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6453/19]

Photo of Shane CassellsShane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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712. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons eligible for dental benefit through the treatment benefit scheme in 2018; the percentage of eligible persons who availed of the scheme in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6454/19]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 709 to 712, inclusive, together.

Qualification for treatment benefit (TB), which includes dental, optical and medical appliances (hearing aids), is based on the person having paid the required number of PRSI contributions since starting employment and also having the required number of contributions or credits in the relevant tax year. The number of contributions required to qualify varies with age.

Dependent spouse/partners of qualified persons can also qualify for the benefit.

It is estimated that 2.5m people currently pay or have paid the relevant PRSI classes that can qualify them and their dependent spouse for TB.

Applications for dental benefit in 2018 as a percentage of those potentially qualified were circa 32%.

The table below shows the number of TB applications processed, under each of the benefits (dental, optical and hearing aids), along with the amount paid in respect of these benefits in 2018:

SchemeNumber of applications awardedExpenditure
Dental804,375€46.91m
Optical451,249€32.72m
Medical Appliance (hearing aids)14,689€12.74m
Total1,270,313€93.38m

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