Explanatory note

These Regulations make provision for a civil penalty to be imposedwhere a person fails to pay a National Health Service (“NHS”) chargein respect of the provision of drugs and medicines, dental treatment andappliances, optical services, or any other appliances, or receives apayment or benefit towards the cost of a NHS charge or service to which heis not entitled, such as NHS spectacle vouchers or free NHS sight tests.

Regulation 2 provides for a penalty notice to be issued to a personrequiring payment of the amount that the person has failed to pay and anadditional penalty charge. It sets out the period within which thoseamounts must be paid, and the information that the penalty notice mustcontain.

Regulation 3 sets out how the amount of the penalty charge payableshall be calculated.

Regulation 4 provides that where the amount required to be paid underthe penalty notice is not paid within the period prescribed, a further sumby way of penalty (“a surcharge”) must be paid.