The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025

Made: 21 October 2025

Laid before Senedd Cymru: 23 October 2025

Coming into force: 11 November 2025

The Welsh Ministers make these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 129 and 203(9) and (10) of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006[^f00001].

Title, coming into force and interpretation

1

• (1) The title of these Regulations is the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025.

• (2) These Regulations come into force on 11 November 2025 but they have effect from 1 April 2025.

• (3) In these Regulations, “the Optical Regulations” means the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997[^f00002].

Amendments to the Optical Regulations

2

• (1) Schedules 1 to 3 to the Optical Regulations are amended as follows.

• (2) For Schedule 1 (voucher number codes and face values – supply and replacement) substitute the Schedule set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations.

• (3) In Schedule 2 (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—

• (a) in paragraph 1(1)(a), for “£12.20” substitute “£12.68”;

• (b) in paragraph 1(1)(b), for “£14.24” substitute “£14.80”;

• (c) in paragraph 1(1)(c), for “£2.03” substitute “£2.11”;

• (d) in paragraph 1(1)(d), for “£2.54” substitute “£2.64”;

• (e) in paragraph 1(1)(e), for “£65.29” substitute “£67.90”;

• (f) in paragraph 1(1)(g)(i), for “£65.29” substitute “£67.90”;

• (g) in paragraph 1(1)(g)(ii), for “£57.97” substitute “£ 60.27”;

• (h) in paragraph 1(1)(g)(iii), for “£31.32” substitute “£32.57”;

• (i) in paragraph 1(1A), for “£15.26” substitute “£15.86”;

• (j) in paragraph 2(a), for “£14.85” substitute “£15.44”;

• (k) in paragraph 2(b), for “£38.04” substitute “£39.56”.

• (4) For Schedule 3 (voucher values – repair) substitute the Schedule set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

Transitional and saving provisions

3

• (1) The amendments made by regulation 2 apply only in relation to a voucher issued pursuant to regulation 9, 10 or 11 or completed pursuant to regulation 16 of the Optical Regulations on or after 1 April 2025.

• (2) Where a voucher—

• (a) has been issued pursuant to regulation 9, 10 or 11 or completed pursuant to regulation 16 of the Optical Regulations on or after 21 October 2024, but

• (b) has not been used or accepted pursuant to regulation 12 or 17 of the Optical Regulations prior to 1 April 2025,

that voucher has the face value provided for in the Optical Regulations as they existed immediately before 1 April 2025 and the voucher’s redemption value is to be calculated accordingly.

SCHEDULE 1 — Schedule 1 to the Optical Regulations as substituted by these Regulations

SCHEDULE 2 — Schedule 3 to the Optical Regulations as substituted by these Regulations

Signed

Jeremy Miles — Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, one of the Welsh Ministers — 21 October 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/818) (“the Optical 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 sight tests and the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 2 and the Schedules to these Regulations amend Schedules 1, 2 and 3 to the Optical Regulations to change the value of vouchers issued in respect of the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 3 makes transitional provision in relation to vouchers issued or completed but not used or accepted before 1 April 2025.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2006 c. 42. There are amendments to section 203 which are not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00002]: S.I. 1997/818 as amended by S.I. 2016/305 (W. 101), S.I. 2016/1059 (W. 250), S.I. 2023/1047 (W. 178) and S.I. 2025/136 (W. 29). There are other amending instruments which are not relevant to these Regulations.