# Optical Charges and Payments and General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

S.R. 2002/85 · made 7 March 2002 · revised to 9 November 2007

These Regulations further amend the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the 1997 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. The Regulations also amend the General Ophtalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the 1986 Regulations”) which provide for the arrangemments under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians provide General Ophthalmic Services.

PDFs: Printed copy https://openlegislation.uk/optical-charges-and-payments-and-general-ophthalmic-services-amendment-regulations-northern-ireland-2002/pdf/nisr_20020085_en.pdf

## Introductory text

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
Made 7th March 2002
Coming into operation—
except for regulations 3 and 6 1st April 2002
Regulations 3 and 6 9th April 2002
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 62, 98, 106 and 107(6) of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, and after consultation with such organisations as appeared to the Department to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners, and ophthalmic opticians, as required by Article 62(3) of the said Order, hereby makes the following Regulations:

## 1 Citation, commencement and interpretation

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments and General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation—
(a) except for regulations 3 and 6, on 1st April 2002; and
(b) regulations 3 and 6 on 9th April 2002.
(2) In these Regulations—
(a) “the 1997 Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997.
(b) “the 1986 Regulations” means the General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986.

## 2 Amendment of the 1997 Regulations

In regulation 2 of the 1997 Regulations (charges for optical appliances supplied by an HSS trust)—
(a) in paragraph (3) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(b) in paragraph (5)(b) for “£53·80” and “£87·50” in both places where they occur there shall be substituted “£54·70” and “£89·00” respectively.

## 3 Amendment of the 1997 Regulations

In regulation 8(3)(c) and (g) of the 1997 Regulations (eligibility — supply of optical appliances) for “£71·00” on each occasion it appears there shall be substituted “£72·20”.

## 4 Amendment of the 1997 Regulations

In regulation 19 of the 1997 Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—
(a) in paragraph (1)(b) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(b) in paragraph (3) for “£11·30” there shall be substituted “£11·50”.

## 5 Amendment of the 1997 Regulations

(1) In Schedule 1 to the 1997 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) there shall be substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that Table (new amount).
TABLE
Column 1
Column 2
Old amount
New amount
£ 30·00
£30·50
£ 45·60
£46·40
£ 62·10
£63·20
£140·30
£142·70
£ 51·80
£52·70
£ 65·90
£67·00
£ 79·60
£81·00
£154·30 (in both places where it appears)
£157·00
£ 43·90
£44·60
(2) In Schedule 2 to the 1997 Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—
(a) in paragraph 1(1)(a) (prism — single vision lens) for “£6·30” there shall be substituted “£9·90”;
(b) in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism — other lens) for “£7·20” there shall be substituted “£11·90”;
(c) in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£3·20” there shall be substituted “£3·30”;
(d) in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£3·70” there shall be substituted “£3·80”;
(e) in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—
(i) in sub-head (i) for “£49·40” there shall be substituted “£50·20”;
(ii) in sub-head (ii) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(iii) in sub-head (iii) for “£23·80” there shall be substituted “£24·20”;
(f) in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£49·40” there shall be substituted “£50·20”;
(g) in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£10·50” there shall be substituted “£10·70”; and
(h) in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£26·50” there shall be substituted “£27·00”.
(3) For Schedule 3 to the 1997 Regulations (voucher values— repair) there shall be substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule.

## 6 Amendment of the 1986 Regulations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## Signature

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 7th March 2002.
L.S.
D. J. Thompson
A Senior Officer of the
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
The Department of Finance and Personal hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 7th March 2002.
L.S.
R. Scott
A Senior Officer of the
Department of Finance and Personnel

## SCHEDULE 3 TO THE 1997 REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

SCHEDULE 3
Voucher Value — Repair
Regulation 19(2) and (3)
Letter Codes—Values
Nature of repair to appliance
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H & I
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Repair or replacement of one lens
9·50
17·45
25·85
65·60
20·60
27·75
34·75
72·75
Repair or replacement of 2 lenses
19·00
34·90
51·70
131·20
41·20
55·50
69·50
145·50
Repair or replacement of:
the front of a frame
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
a side of a frame
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
the whole frame
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50

## Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations further amend the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the 1997 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. The Regulations also amend the General Ophtalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the 1986 Regulations”) which provide for the arrangemments under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians provide General Ophthalmic Services.
Regulation 2 amends regulation 2 of the 1997 Regulations to provide for an increase in the charges for glasses and contact lenses supplied by an HSS trust.
Regulation 3 amends regulation 8 of the 1997 Regulations to increase the income level at which recipients of tax credit are entitled to health service optical vouchers.
Regulation 4 amends regulation 19 of the 1997 Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair) to increase the redemption value of two categories of vouchers, namely, vouchers for replacement and vouchers for repair.
Regulation 5(1) amends Schedule 1 to the 1997 Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses.
Regulation 5(2) amends Schedule 2 to the 1997 Regulations by increasing the additional values for vouchers in respect of prisms, tints, and special categories of appliances.
Regulations 5(3) and the Schedule substitute a new Schedule 3 in the 1997 Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of repair and replacement of optical appliances.
Regulation 6 amends regulation 15 of the 1986 Regulations to increase the income level used in determining eligibility to free health service sight tests for recipients of tax credits.
The rate of increase is, on average, approximately 1·95%.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2002/85 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/optical-charges-and-payments-and-general-ophthalmic-services-amendment-regulations-northern-ireland-2002
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.