The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
S.R. 2009/153 · Made 3 April 2009
Health And Personal Social Services
Made 3rd April 2009
Coming into operation 1st April 2009
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety f1 makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 62, 98, 106 and 107(6) of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 f2, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel.
In accordance with Article 62(3) of that Order it has consulted with such organisations as appeared to the Department to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians.
Annotations to the whole text
Footnotes
- f1
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See S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3(6)
- f2
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S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14) as amended by Article 3(2) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Health and Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 (S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8)); paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 8 of the Health and Medicines (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24)); Article 34 of, and Part II of Schedule 5 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1)), there are other amendments which are not relevant
Contents
- 1Citation, commencement, interpretation
- 2Amendment of regulation 8 of the principal Regulations
- 3Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations
- 4Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations
- 5Application of Regulations 2(a), 3 and 4
- Signature
- Schedule SCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS
- Explanatory note
1Citation, commencement, interpretation
These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2009.
In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 f1.
2Amendment of regulation 8 of the principal Regulations
In regulation 8 of the principal Regulations (eligibility – supply of optical appliances)—
in paragraph (3)(k)(ii)f1 for “£15,050” substitute “£15,276”;
3Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations
In regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—
in paragraph (1)(b) for “£51.90” substitute “£52.90”; and
in paragraph (3) for “£13.40” substitute “£13.70”.
4Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations
In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values – supply and replacement) f1—
omit paragraph 10 (including columns 2 and 3 of that paragraph); and
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).
Table
Column 1 Old amount | Column 2 New amount |
|---|---|
| £35.50 | £36.20 |
| £54.00 | £55.10 |
| £79.00 | £80.60 |
| £178.40 | £182.00 |
| £61.40 | £62.70 |
| £78.10 | £79.70 |
| £101.20 | £103.30 |
| £196.10 | £200.10 |
| £182.70 | £186.40 |
In Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—
in paragraph 1(1)(a) (prism – single vision lens) for “11.60” substitute “11.80”;
in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£13.90” substitute “£14.20”;
in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£3.90” substitute “£4.00”;
in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.40” substitute “£4.50”;
in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses) —
in sub–head (i) for “£58.50” substitute “£59.70”;
in sub–head (ii) for “£51.90” substitute “£52.90”; and
in sub–head (iii) for “£28.00” substitute “£28.60”;
in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£58.50” substitute “£59.70”;
in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment – single vision lenses) for “£13.40”substitute “£13.70”; and
in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment –other cases) for “£33.90” substitute “34.60”.
For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher value – repair) f2, substitute Schedule 3 as set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.
5Application of Regulations 2(a), 3 and 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 April 2009.
Signature
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 3rd April 2009.
L.S.
Christine Jendoubi
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 3rd April 2009.
L.S.
Jack Layberry
A senior officer of the Department of Finance and Personnel
SCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS
“SCHEDULE 3
VOUCHER VALUE REPAIR
Regulations 19(2) and (3)
Letter Codes –Values Nature of repair A B C D E F G H I £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Repair or replacement of One lens 11.25 20.70 33.45 84.15 24.50 33.00 44.80 93.20 86.35 Repair or replacement of Two lenses 22.50 41.40 66.90 168.30 49.00 66.00 89.60 186.40 172.70 Repair or replacement of: the front of a frame 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 a side of a frame 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 6.90 the whole frame 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 ”
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 8 of the principal Regulations to increase the income level used to calculate the resources and requirements of recipients of tax credits to establish eligibility for payments for the cost incurred for the supply of optical appliances. Regulation 2 also corrects an error in the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008.
Regulation 3 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 4 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 5 provides that the increases contained in regulations 2(a), 3 and 4 apply only in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 1st April 2009.