Statutory Instruments
1996 No. 582

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, ENGLAND AND WALES
The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1996

Made
5th March 1996

Laid before Parliament
6th March 1996

Coming into force
1st April 1996

The Secretary of State for Health, in exercise of powers conferred on him by section 126(4) of, and paragraph 2A of Schedule 12 to, the National Health Service Act 1977(1) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 1st April 1996.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations”means the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989(2).

Amendment of regulation 20 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 20 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—

(a)in paragraph (1)(b), for “£38.60” there is substituted “£39.00”; and

(b)in paragraph (3), for “£9.90” there is substituted “£10.00”.

Amendment of Schedules to the principal Regulations

3.—(1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values — supply and replacement)(3), in column 3 (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the table below there is substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that table.

TABLE

Column 1
Column 2

Old Amount
New Amount

£26.40
£26.70

£40.10
£40.50

£54.70
£55.20

£107.30
£108.40

£45.50
£46.00

£57.90
£58.50

£69.80
£70.50

£118.00 (in both places where it appears)
£119.20

£38.60
£39.00

(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 “£5.10”there is substituted “£5.20”;

(b)in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism— other lens), for “£6.30” there is substituted “£6.40”;

(c)in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens), for “£2.60” there is substituted “£2.70”;

(d)in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens), for “£3.10” there is substituted “£3.20”;

(e)in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—

(i)in sub-head (i), for “£43.50” there is substituted “£43.90”,

(ii)in sub-head (ii), for “£38.60” there is substituted “£39.00”, and

(iii)in sub-head (iii), for “£20.90” there is substituted “£21.10”;

(f)in paragraph 1(1)(f) (photochromic lenses), for “£2.60” there is substituted “£2.70” and for “£3.10” there is substituted “£3.20”;

(g)in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames), for “£43.50” there is substituted “£43.90”;

(h)in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment— single vision lenses), for “£4.30” there is substituted “£4.40”; and

(i)in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment— other lenses), for “£23.40” there is substituted “£23.60”.

(3) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher values — repair)(4), there is substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of these Regulations

4.  The amendments made by these Regulations apply only in relation to a voucher—

(a)accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 18 of the principal Regulations on or after 1st April 1996; or

(b)provided to a Health Authority pursuant to regulation 14(2)(c) of the principal Regulations in respect of cost incurred on or after that date.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Gerald Mallone
Minister of State
Department of Health
5th March 1996

Regulation 3(3)

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulations 20(2) and (3)

SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUES — REPAIR

1. Nature of Repair
2. Letter Codes— Values

A £
B £
C £
D £
E £
F £
G £
H & I £

Repair or replacement of one lens
8.30
15.30
22.60
49.20
18.00
24.20
30.20
54.50

Repair or replacement of two lenses
16.70
30.50
45.20
98.40
36.00
48.50
60.50
109.20

Repair or replacement of—

the front of a frame
8.60
8.60
8.60
8.60
8.60
8.60
8.60
8.60

a side of a frame
5.10
5.10
5.10
5.10
5.10
5.10
5.10
5.10

the whole frame
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989 (“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 20 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair) to increase the value of an optical voucher issued towards the cost of replacing a single contact lens, and to increase the maximum contribution by way of voucher to the cost of repairing a frame.
Regulation 3(1) amends Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses.
Regulation 3(2) increases the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.
Regulation 3(3) and the Schedule substitute a new Schedule 3 in the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances.
The rate of increase is, on average, approximately 1%.


(1)
1977 c. 49; see section 128(1) as amended by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19) (“the 1990 Act”), section 26(2)(g) and (i), for the definitions of “prescribed” and “regulations”. Section 126(4) was amended by the 1990 Act, section 65(2). Paragraph 2A of Schedule 12 was inserted by the Health and Social Security Act 1984 (c. 48), Schedule 1, Part I, paragraph 3 and amended by the Health and Medicines Act 1988 (c. 49), section 13(2) and (3).

(2)
S.I. 1989/396, amended by S.I. 1990/495, 1991/583, 1991/1680, 1991/2465, 1992/404, 1993/418, 1994/131, 1994/495, 1994/2619, 1995/34, 1995/691 and 1995/2307.

(3)
Schedule 1 was substituted by regulation 4 of S.I. 1992/404, and subsequently amended by S.I. 1993/418, 1994/495 and 1995/691.

(4)
Schedule 3 was last substituted by S.I. 1995/691.