asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of women who applied under the new provisions for dental and optical benefit for pregnant women in the 1985 budget; and the cost of extending this scheme to all of the wives of insured workers.
Written Answers. - Treatment Benefits Scheme.
68.
Under the 1985 provisions extending the scheme to the pregnant wives of qualified insured persons 6,364 women have, up to 30 June 1986, applied for treatment benefits as follows: 5,527 for dental benefit, 788 for optical benefit and four for medical and surgical appliances.
The cost of extending the treatment benefits scheme to cover spouses of qualified insured persons is estimated at around £7 million per annum.