Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1996 No. 416

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Made
10th 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 62, 106 and 107(6) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(1), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, and in conjunction with 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:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the General Ophthalmic Services (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 General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986(2).

Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 2(1) of the principal Regulations (interpretation), after the definition of “general ophthalmic services”(3) 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(4);”.

Amendment of regulation 15 of the principal Regulations

3.—(1) Regulation 15 of the principal Regulations (sight tests-eligibility)(5) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2)—

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

“and it has the meaning given to it by Article 2(2) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(6) in the case of paragraph (2)(j).”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on 10th September 1996.

L.S.
J. R. Kearney
Assistant Secretary

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department Finance and Personnel on 10th September 1996.

L.S.
D. Thomson
Assistant Secretary

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations further amend the General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the principal Regulations”).
Regulation 2 amends regulation 2(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 general ophthalmic services.
Regulation 3(2)(b) and (3) extends the categories of eligibility for general ophthalmic services 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. 1978/1907 (N.I. 26) Article 13; S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8) Article 3(1) and (2), paragraph 1 of Schedule 1, Article 17 and Part I of Schedule 6; S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24) Article 8(1) and (2); S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Part I of Schedule 5

(2)
S.R. 1986 No. 163; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1989 No. 113 and S.R. 1995 No. 115

(3)
The definition of “general ophthalmic services” was inserted by S.R. 1989 No. 113

(4)
S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15)

(5)
Regulation 15 was substituted by S.R. 1989 No. 113 and amended by S.R. 1995 No. 115

(6)
See S.R. 1996 No. 198, regulations 76 to 78 as amended by S.R. 1996 Nos. 356 and 358