Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 1st August 2012.

(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 “£52.90” substitute “£54.20”; and

(b)in paragraph (3) for “£13.70” substitute “£14.00”.

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)—

(a)omit paragraph 10 (including columns 2 and 3 of that paragraph); and

(b)in column 3 (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the Table below (old amount) substitute 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 “£11.80” substitute “£12.10”;

(b)in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£14.20” substitute “£14.60”;

(c)in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£4.00” substitute “£4.10”;

(d)in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.50” substitute “£4.60”;

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

(i)in sub-head (i) for “£59.70” substitute “£61.20”;

(ii)in sub-head (ii) for “£52.90” substitute “£54.20”; and

(iii)in sub-head (iii) for “£28.60” substitute “£29.30”;

(f)in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£59.70” substitute “£61.20”;

(g)in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment – single vision lenses) for “£13.70” substitute “£14.00”; and

(h)in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment – other cases) for “£34.60” substitute “£35.50”.

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

Application of Regulation 2(a), 3 and 4

4.  The amendments made in regulations 2(a), 3 and 4 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 August 2012.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 28th June 2012

Eugene Rooney

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 28th June 2012

John McKibbin

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Regulation 4(3)

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulation 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, it omits paragraph 10 in Schedule 1; secondly the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses is increased; thirdly, the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances are increased; and fourthly, 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 regulation 2(a), 3 and 4 apply only in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 1st August 2012.