Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2008.

(2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(3).

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations

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

(a)in paragraph (1)(b) for “£50.50” there shall be substituted “£51.90”; and

(b)in paragraph (3) for “£13.00” there shall be substituted “£13.40”.

Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations

3.—(1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values – supply and replacement)(4), 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 “£11.30” there shall be substituted “£11.60”;

(b)in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£13.50” there shall be substituted “£13.90”;

(c)in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£3.80” there shall be substituted “£3.90”;

(d)in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.30” there shall be substituted “£4.40”;

(e)in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses) –

(i)in sub-head (i) for “£57.00” there shall be substituted “£58.50”;

(ii)in sub-head (ii) for “£50.50” there shall be substituted “£51.90”; and

(iii)in sub-head (iii) for “£27.30” there shall be substituted “£28.00”;

(f)in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£57.00” there shall be substituted “£58.50”;

(g)in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment – single vision lenses) for “£13.00” there shall be substituted “£13.40”; and

(h)in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment – other cases) for “£33.00” there shall be substituted “£33.90”.

(3) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher value – repair)(5), there shall be substituted Schedule 3 as set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of Regulations 2 and 3

4.  The amendments made in regulations 2 and 3 apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 17 of the principal Regulations on or after 1st April 2008.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 18th March 2008.

Nigel Carson

A senior officer of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

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

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 18th March 2008.

Mary McIvor

A senior officer of the Department of Finance and Personnel

Regulation 3(3)

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulations 19(2) and (3)

“SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUE REPAIR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services (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 amends regulation 19 of the principal Regulations to increase the redemption value of a voucher issued towards the cost of replacement of a single contact lens and to increase the maximum contribution by way of a voucher to the cost of repair of a frame.

Regulation 3 and the Schedule amend the Schedules to the principal Regulations. Firstly, the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses is increased; secondly, the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances are increased; and thirdly, the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances is increased.

Regulation 4 provides that the increases contained in regulations 2 and 3 only apply in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 1st April 2008.