Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1990 and shall come into force on 1st April 1990.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989(2).

Amendment of regulation 20 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 20 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair) —

(a)in paragraph (1)(b) for “£26.50” there is substituted “£28.85”; and

(b)in paragraph (3) for “£7.40” there is substituted “£7.70”.

Amendment of Schedules to the principal Regulations

3.—(1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values — supply and replacement) in column 1 (type of optical appliance)—

(a)for paragraph 1 there is substituted the following:—

“1. Glasses with single vision lenses—

(a)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 6 dioptres; or

(b)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 4 dioptres with a cylindrical power (plus or minus) not exceeding dioptres.”;

(b)for paragraph 3(c) there is substituted the following:—

“(c)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power (plus or minus) exceeding 6 dioptres; or”;

(c)for paragraph 4 there is substituted the following:—

“4. Glasses with bifocal lenses—

(a)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 6 dioptres; or

(b)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 4 dioptres with a cylindrical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 2 dioptres.”;

(d)for paragraph 6(c) there is substituted the following:—

“(c)of a spherical power (plus or minus) not exceeding 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power (plus or minus) exceeding 6 dioptres; or”.

(2) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations in column 3 (face value of voucher) for each amount specified in column 1 of the Table below there shall be substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that Table.

(3) 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 “£3.75” there is substituted “£4.00”;

(b)in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism — other lens) for “£4.75” there is substituted “£5.00”;

(c)in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£1.90” there is substituted “£2.00”;

(d)in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£2.40” there is substituted “£2.50”;

(e)for paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses) there is substituted the following:—

“(e)in respect of small glasses—

(i)by £34.50 in the case of supply or replacement of the glasses or repair or replacement of the whole frame,

(ii)by £30.70 in the case of repair or replacement of the front of the frame, and

(iii)by £16.60 in the case of repair or replacement of a side of a frame;”

(f)in paragraph 1(1)(f) (photochromic lenses) for “£1.90” there is substituted “£2.00” and for “£2.40” there is substituted “£2.50”;

(g)in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£33.00” there is substituted “£34.50”;

(h)in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£3.25” there is substituted “£3.50”; and

(i)in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£18.00” there is substituted “£18.75”.

(4) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher values — repair) there is substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of Regulations

4.  The amendments made by regulations 2 and 3(2), (3) and (4) of, and the Schedule to, these Regulations apply only in relation to a voucher—

(a)accepted or used on or after 1st April 1990 pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 18 of the principal Regulations; or

(b)sent to a Health Authority pursuant to regulation 14(2)(c) of the principal Regulations in respect of cost incurred on or after that date.

Regulation 3(4)

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulation 20(2) and (3)

SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUES — REPAIR

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989 (“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 and replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 3(1)(a) and (c) alters the specification of appliances in respect of which vouchers may be used by redefining the upper limits of the spherical powers and cylindrical powers of appliances to which vouchers with letter codes A and D apply. Regulation 3(1)(b) and (d) clarifies the specification of appliances to which vouchers with letter codes C and F apply. These Regulations also amend Schedules 1 and 3 to the principal Regulations to increase by an average of 4.7 per cent. the value of vouchers issued in respect of the cost of the supply and replacement of optical appliances (regulation 3(2)) and of the repair and replacement of appliances (regulation 3(4) and the Schedule). Regulation 2 makes consequential amendments to regulation 20 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair). Regulation 3(3) increases the additional values for vouchers in respect of prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.