Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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1873. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the treatment benefit scheme will be extended to allow parents that pay PRSI contributions to claim for their dependent children’s eye care and glasses while they are in secondary school in view of the fact that the free eye care scheme ends when a child leaves primary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36389/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Entitlement to treatment benefit is based on having paid PRSI contributions, with customers required to have a certain number of PRSI contributions paid or credited in order to qualify. The scheme is based entirely on the PRSI records of the claimant or if they are a dependent adult, their spouse/partner’s PRSI record. The number of contributions required varies with age, to take account of the capacity of the person concerned to have paid the required contributions. The scheme is not available for dependent children.

Any changes to the current arrangements would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.