Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Made: 10th March 1998

Coming into operation: 1st April 1998

The Department of Health and Social Services, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 98 and 106 of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order1972[^f00001] and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 and shall come into operation on 1st April 1998.

• (2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997[^f00002].

Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations

2

In regulation 2 of the principal Regulations (charges for optical appliances supplied by an HSS trust)—

• (a) in paragraph (3) for “£39·80” there shall be substituted “£40·90”;

• (b) in paragraph (5)(b) for “£48·80” and “£79·40” in both places where they occur there shall be substituted “£50·20” and “£81·60” respectively.

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations

3

In regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—

• (a) in paragraph (1)(b) for “£39·80” there shall be substituted “£40·90”; and

• (b) in paragraph (3) for “£10·20” there shall be substituted “£10·50”.

Amendment of Schedules to the principal Regulations

4

• (1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values—supply and replacement) in column 3 (face value of voucher) for each amount specified in column 1 of the Table below (old amount) there shall be substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that Table (new amount).

• (2) In Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—

• (a) in paragraph 1(1)(a) (prism—single vision lens) for “£5·30” there shall be substituted “£5·40”;

• (b) in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism—other lens) for “£6·50” there shall be substituted “£6·70”;

• (c) in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£2·80” there shall be substituted “£2·90”;

• (d) in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£3·30” there shall be substituted “£3·40”;

• (e) in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—

• (i) in sub-head (i) for “£44·80” there shall be substituted “£46·10”;

• (ii) in sub-head (ii) for “£39·80” there shall be substituted “£40·90”; and

• (iii) in sub-head (iii) for “£21·50” there shall be substituted “£22·10”;

• (f) in paragraph 1(1)(f) (photochromic lenses) for “£2·80” there shall be substituted “£2·90” and for “£3·30” there shall be substituted “£3·40”;

• (g) in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£44·80” there shall be substituted “£46·10”;

• (h) in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment— single vision lenses) for “£4·50” there shall be substituted “£4·60”; and

• (i) in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment—other cases) for “£24·10” there shall be substituted “£24·80”.

• (3) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher values—repair) there shall be substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule.

Application of Regulations

5

The amendments made by these Regulations and the Schedule apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 19 of the principal Regulations on or after 1st April 1998.

SCHEDULE — Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations as substituted by these Regulations

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on

Joan Dixon — Assistant Secretary — 10th March 1998.

The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on

J. G. Sullivan — Assistant Secretary — 10th March 1998.

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for payments to be made, by means of a voucher system, in respect of costs incurred by certain categories of persons in connection with the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 2 provides for an increase in the charges for glasses and contact lenses supplied by an HSS trust.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value for replacement or repair) to increase the value of an optical voucher issued towards the cost of replacing a single contact lens, and to increase the maximum contribution by way of voucher to the cost of repairing a frame.

Regulation 4(1) amends Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses.

Regulation 4(2) amends Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations to increase the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.

Regulation 4(3) and the Schedule substitute a new Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances.

The rate of increase is, on average, approximately 2·8%.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14) as amended by S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8) Article 3(2) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 1; S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24) paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 8 and S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Article 34 and Part II of Schedule 5; there are other amendments which are not relevant

[^f00002]: S.R. 1997 No. 191 as amended by S.R. 1997 No. 458