Explanatory note

These Regulations make amendments to the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and the Health and Personal Social Services (General Ophthalmic Services) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 consequent on the introduction of pension credit guarantee credit in the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002. The purpose of the amendments is to ensure that those in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and members of their families will be entitled to Health Service vouchers to put towards the cost of spectacles and contact lenses and to General Ophthalmic Services free of charge.