To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of how the change from tax credits to Universal Credit, and the application process for free dental treatment, has impacted the number of people registered as eligible for free dental treatment in the last five years.

The Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme provides individuals, primarily on low incomes, with financial help towards the cost of dental treatment, eyesight tests, glasses or contact lens, and travel costs for Health and Social Care (HSC) treatment on referral by a doctor or dentist.

A person is either automatically passported to the HwHC scheme if they are in receipt of certain benefits or they have to apply through the Department’s Low Income Scheme. The legislation does not currently make provision for the automatic passporting to the HwHC scheme for eligible Universal Credit (UC) claimants and therefore, legislative changes are required.

Generally speaking, as the associated legislative changes have not yet been made, there should be no impact on the overall number of people eligible for help with health costs following the introduction of UC. However, there has been an impact on the method by which eligible UC claimants currently receive entitlement for help with health costs.

An interim measure is in place for individuals who have migrated from a legacy benefit on to UC, they have to apply through the Department’s Low Income Scheme to have their eligibility assessed and confirmed prior to treatment. The scheme is administered by the Department for Communities. The interim measure is not an automatic process. It is paper based, and individuals must complete an application form to apply for an annual certificate for help with health costs.

Currently, with the exception of having to apply manually, my Department do not expect there to be any significant change in eligibility for UC claimants receiving help with health costs.

However, I recognise that the interim measure has obvious implications for some of our most vulnerable people and it has been criticised due to low public awareness and for placing an additional burden on individuals in society. It is clear that there is an urgent need to update our legislation to reinstate automatic passporting for help with health costs to those eligible.

A short consultation is required which will outline the potential options that my Department is considering before proceeding to update the legislation. My Department will seek to maintain, as closely as possible, the caseload of recipients who are eligible for help with health costs, balancing the continued protection of the health of members of society who need additional support without adding pressures on HSC budgets.

My officials intend to have the consultation and other necessary work completed to enable the legislation to be updated in the autumn of this year.