To ask the Minister of Health when he will update the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 to enable people in receipt of Universal Credit to avail of free dental treatment, sight tests and support for hospital travel.

Preparatory work has recently commenced in advance of updating the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004. The focus of work is to reinstate automatic passporting for those eligible to receive free sight tests and free Health Service dental treatment through the Help with Health Care (HwHC) scheme following the migration of their benefits to Universal Credit by the Department for Communities (DfC).

The Department, in consultation with DfC, has implemented an interim solution to help ensure that people do not lose out on their entitlement. However, this is no longer an automatic system. It is paper based, and individuals must apply for an annual certificate. This has obvious implications for some of our most vulnerable people. While the Department is currently liaising with officials in DfC to explore options for streamline this process, it is clear that there is an urgent need to update our legislation to reinstate automatic passporting to those eligible.

The Department will seek to maintain, as closely as possible, the caseload of recipients who are eligible for HwHC, balancing the continued protection of the health of members of society who need additional support without adding pressures on HSC budgets. My Department is currently liaising with other NI departments and colleagues in GB. This will inform the decision on setting the income threshold for UC becoming an automated passport benefit. A short public consultation will be conducted in the coming months on proposed changes to our legislation in relation to UC, with the associated legislative process commencing in due course thereafter.