Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1996 No. 424

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Made
12th September 1996

Coming into operation
7th October 1996

The Department of Health and Social Services, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 98 and 106 of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(1), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and shall come into operation on 7th October 1996.

(2) In these regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989(2).

Amendment of regulation 1 of the principal Regulations

2.—(1) In regulation 1 of the principal Regulations (citation, commencement and interpretation), in paragraph (2), after the definition of “health service sight test fee” there shall be inserted—

““an income-based jobseeker’s allowance” has the meaning given to it by Article 3(4) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(3);”.

Amendment of regulation 8 of the principal Regulations

3.—(1) Regulation 8 of the principal Regulations (eligibility — supply of optical appliances)(4) shall be amended as provided by paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In paragraph (3)—

(a)in sub-paragraph (g), the words from “and his” to the end shall be omitted; and

(b)after sub-paragraph (h), there shall be added—

“(i)he is in receipt of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance; or

(j)he is a member of the same family as a person described in sub-paragraph (i).”.

(3) In paragraph (4), after sub-paragraph (c), there shall be added—

“and has the meaning given to it by Article 2(2) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(5) in the case of paragraph 3(j).”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on 12th September 1996.

L.S.
P. Conliffe
Assistant Secretary

The Department of Finance and Personal hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 12th September 1996.

L.S.
J. G. Sullivan
Assistant Secretary

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations further amend the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 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 1 of the principal Regulations in order to include a definition of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance.
Regulation 3(2)(a) removes the capital restriction relating to disability working allowance so that everyone in receipt of this, and members of their families, will be eligible for payments towards the costs of optical appliances.
Regulation 3(2)(b) and (3) extends the categories of eligibility for payments towards the costs of optical appliances to include people in receipt of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance, and also members of the same family as such people.


(1)
S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14) as amended by S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8) Article 3(2) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 1; S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24) paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 8, and S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Article 34 and Part II of Schedule 5; there are other amendments which are not relevant

(2)
S.R. 1989 No. 114; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1991 No. 496, S.R. 1992 No. 155, S.R. 1994 Nos. 31 and 388, and S.R. 1995 Nos. 16, 114 and 358

(3)
S.I. 1995 No. 2705 (N.I. 15)

(4)
As amended by S.R. 1995 No. 114 regulation 5

(5)
See S.R. 1996 No. 198, regulations 76 to 78 as amended by S.R. 1996 Nos. 356 and 358