# The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018

S.R. 2018/211 · made 13 December 2018

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for payment 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.

Made under: Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 (Article 62, Article 98, Article 106, Article 107, Schedule 15)

PDFs: Printed copy https://openlegislation.uk/optical-charges-and-payments-amendment-regulations-northern-ireland-2018/pdf/nisr_20180211_en.pdf; NI Explanatory Memorandum https://openlegislation.uk/optical-charges-and-payments-amendment-regulations-northern-ireland-2018/pdf/nisrem_20180211_en.pdf

## Introductory text

Health And Personal Social Services
Made 13th December 2018
Coming into operation 3rd January 2019
The Department of Health 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, with the approval of the Department of Finance.
In accordance with Article 62(3) of that Order it has consulted with such organisations as appear to it to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians.

## 1 Citation, commencement and interpretation

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018 and shall come into operation on 3rd January 2019.
(2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997.

## 2 Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations

(1) In regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—
(a) in paragraph (1)(b) for “£57.00” substitute “£57.60”; and
(b) in paragraph (3) for “£14.80” substitute “£14.90”.

## 3 Amendments of the Schedules to the principal Regulations

(1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values – supply and replacement), 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
£39.10
£39.50
£59.30
£59.90
£86.90
£87.80
£196.00
£198.00
£67.50
£68.20
£85.60
£86.50
£111.20
£112.30
£215.50
£217.70
£200.80
£202.80
(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 “£12.60” substitute “£12.70”;
(b) in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£15.40” substitute “£15.60”;
(c) in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£4.40” substitute “£4.50”;
(d) in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.90” substitute “£5.00”;
(e) in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—
(i) in sub-head (i) for “£64.20” substitute “£64.80”;
(ii) in sub-head (ii) for “£57.00” substitute “£57.60”;
(iii) in sub-head (iii) for “£30.80” substitute “£31.10”;
(f) for paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) substitute —
“(g) where the voucher is issued by an ophthalmic medical practitioner, optician or a HSC Trust, the frame of which is certified by the ophthalmic medical practitioner, optician or a HSC Trust as being required to be specifically manufactured on account of the patient’s facial characteristics;
(i) by £64.85 in the case of the supply or replacement of the glasses or repair of the whole frame;
(ii) by £57.55 in the case of repair of the front of the frame; and
(iii) by £31.10 in the case of repair of a side frame.;”
(g) in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£14.60” substitute “£14.70”; and
(h) in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£37.40” substitute “£37.80”.
(3) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher value repair), substitute the Schedule 3 as set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

## 4 Application of Regulations 2 and 3

The amendments made in regulations 2 and 3 apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 17 of the principal Regulations on or after xxth January 2019.

## Signature

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 13th December 2018
L.S.
Kiera Lloyd
A senior officer of the Department of Health
The Department of Finance hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 13th December 2018
L.S.
Emer Morelli
A senior officer of the Department of Finance

## SCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

“SCHEDULE 3
VOUCHER VALUE REPAIR
REGULATION 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
12.30
22.50
36.40
91.50
26.60
35.75
48.70
101.35
93.95
Repair or replacement of two lenses
24.55
44.95
72.80
183.00
53.20
71.50
97.35
202.70
187.85
Repair or replacement of:
the front of a frame
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
12.60
a side of a frame
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
7.40
the whole frame
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
14.95
”

## 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 payment 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 Schedules 1, 2 and 3 to the principal Regulations. Firstly, the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses is increased and a new provision introduced to allow practitioners to issue and certify vouchers for glasses where the frame needs to be specially manufactured; secondly, the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances are increased; and thirdly, the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of repair and replacement of optical appliances is increased.
Regulation 4 provides that the increases contained in regulation 2 and 3 apply only in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 3rd January 2019.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2018/211 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/optical-charges-and-payments-amendment-regulations-northern-ireland-2018
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.