Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 Nov 1996

Vol. 472 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Question:

142 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health whether free dental treatment is in operation for the over 65 year age group in each health board in the country; if so, the number of qualifying patients who have been treated in each health board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22565/96]

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Question:

146 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health whether the Government decision announced in June 1996 regarding free dental treatment with private practitioners for all medical card holders in the 16 to 35 year age group has been implemented in each health board in the country; if so, if he will give a breakdown of the number of qualifying patients who have been treated in each health board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22569/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 146 together.

Under the dental treatment services scheme which was introduced by my Department on 1 November 1994, dental treatment will be extended to all adults with medical card eligibility on a phased basis.

In the initial phasing of the scheme persons aged 65 years and over were identified as a priority group and additional resources have been made available to health boards to enable them to provide dental treatment including denture treatment for this group. In addition, emergency dental treatment for the relief of pain is available under the dental treatment services scheme to all medical card holders irrespective of age and eligible persons over the age of 16 may attend any private dentist under contract with the health boards, if in pain and in need of emergency treatment.

The second phase of the scheme was introduced from 1 June 1996 and involves the extension of the scheme to medical card holders in the 16 to 34 year old age group and the provision of full dentures to all edentulous medical card holders.

According to information supplied by the BMS (Payment) Board the following number of eligible persons have been treated under the dental treatment services scheme.

Persons aged 65 years or over Treated under the DTSS since 1 November 1994

Health Board	Routine	Emergency
Eastern	4,220	2,913
Midland	1,446	765
Mid-Western	2,617	1,144
North-Eastern	1,757	1,108
North-Western	1,539	870
South-Eastern	2,952	1,733
Southern	4,449	2,049
Western	3,292	1,443
Total	22,272	12,025

Numbers of Persons aged 16 to 34 treated under the DTSS since 1st June 1966

Health Board	Routine	Emergency
Eastern	212	5,495
Midland	377	1,500
Mid-Western	312	1,619
North-Eastern	97	1,900
North-Western	181	1,232
South-Eastern	133	2,454
Southern	1,793	3,509
Western	413	1,930
Total	3,518	19,639

Due to difficulties being experienced in the operation of the scheme the number of persons approved for routine treatment in the 16 to 34 years old age cohort has been limited. This has arisen because, as the table above shows, the emergency element of the scheme is using a disproportionate amount of the budget for the scheme as a whole. This has limited the amount of routine treatments which the health boards have been able to approve.

Strenuous efforts are being made to bring the emergency element of the scheme under control with the assistance of revised arrangements for emergency treatment. These are designed to ensure that the emergency element of the scheme is used only for the relief of pain in accordance with the original design of the scheme.