{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/charges-for-drugs-and-appliances-regulations-northern-ireland-1997/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/charges-for-drugs-and-appliances-regulations-northern-ireland-1997/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1997/382",
  "legislation_title": "Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/charges-for-drugs-and-appliances-regulations-northern-ireland-1997",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Regulations.)\nThese Regulations consolidate with amendments the Regulations which provide for the making and recovery of charges for drugs and appliances (other than dental and optical appliances) supplied under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972.\nAccordingly, these Regulations provide for charges for drugs and appliances supplied by chemists and doctors providing pharmaceutical services (regulations 3 and 4) and by Boards and HSS trusts to patients who are not resident in hospital (regulation 5).\nThe Regulations provide in addition for—\nthe reduction of a chemist’s remuneration by the amount of the charge recoverable under the Regulations (regulation 3(6));\na doctor providing pharmaceutical services to send each month a sum equal to the total of the charges recovered under the Regulations to the Central Services Agency (regulation 4(6));\nthe remission of charges (regulations 3(2), 4(2), 5(2) and 7);\nthe application for and the issue of exemption certificates (regulations 2(1) and 8);\nthe payment for certificates granting exemption from charges otherwise payable under these Regulations (regulation 9);\nthe repayment of charges (regulation 10); and\nthe revocation of the superseded Regulations on charges for drugs and appliances (regulation 12).\nThe Regulations include a new provision which requires patients, who obtain drugs from a dispensing doctor, and who are claiming entitlement to exemption or remission from charges, to make a written declaration on the prescription form to that effect (regulation 4(2)).",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1997/382/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:29:39.378982+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}