Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1996 No. 124

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Made
27th March 1996

Coming into operation
1st April 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) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and shall come into operation on 1st April 1996.

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

Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal regulations

2.  In regulation 2 of the principal regulations (charges for optical appliances supplied by a Board or an HSS trust)—

(a)in paragraph (3) for “£38·60” there shall be substituted “£39·00”;

(b)in paragraph (5)(b) for “£47·30” and “£76·90” in both places where they occur there shall be substituted “£47·80” and “£77·80” respectively.

Amendment of regulation 20 of the principal regulations

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

(a)in paragraph (1)(b) for “£38·60” there shall be substituted “£39·00”; and

(b)in paragraph (3) for “£9·90” there shall be substituted “£10·00”.

Amendment of Schedules to the principal regulations

4.—(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 (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

£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 shall be substituted “£5·20”;

(b)in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism — other lens) for “£6·30” there shall be substituted “£6·40”;

(c)in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£2·60” there shall be substituted “£2·70”;

(d)in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£3·10” there shall be substituted “£3·20”;

(e)in paragraph 1(1)(e)(4) (small glasses)—

(i)in sub-head (i) for “£43·50” there shall be substituted “£43·90”,

(ii)in sub-head (ii) for “£38·60” there shall be substituted “£39·00”, and

(iii)in sub-head (iii) for “£20·90” there shall be substituted “£21·10”;

(f)in paragraph 1(1)(f) (photochromic lenses) for “£2·60” there shall be substituted “£2·70” and for “£3·10” there shall be substituted “£3·20”;

(g)in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£43·50” there shall be substituted “£43·90”;

(h)in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£4·30” there shall be substituted “£4·40”; and

(i)in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£23·40” there shall be substituted “£23·60”.

(3) For Schedule 3 to the principal regulations (voucher values — repair)(5) there shall be substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule.

Application of regulations

5.  The amendments made by regulations 3 and 4 and the Schedule apply only in relation to a voucher—

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

(b)sent to the Agency pursuant to regulation 14(2)(c) of the principal regulations in respect of cost incurred on or after that date.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on

L.S.
Joan Dixon
Assistant Secretary
27th March 1996.

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

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on

L.S.
J. G. Sullivan
Assistant Secretary
27th March 1996.

Regulation 4(3)

SCHEDULESchedule 3 to the Principal Regulations as Substituted by these Regulations

Regulation 20(2) and (3)
SCHEDULE 3

Voucher Value — Repair

Letter Codes — Values

Nature of repair to appliance
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 2 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 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 provides for an increase in the charges for glasses and contact lenses supplied by a Board or an HSS trust.
Regulation 3 amends regulation 20 of the principal regulations (redemption value 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 4(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 4(2) increases the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.
Regulation 4(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)
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 as amended by S.R. 1990 No. 99, S.R. 1991 Nos. 115 and 332, S.R. 1992 Nos. 155 and 242, S.R. 1993 No. 141, S.R. 1994 No. 100, and S.R. 1995 No. 114

(3)
Schedule 1 was substituted by regulation 4 of S.R. 1992 No. 155 and subsequently amended by S.R. 1993 No. 141, S.R. 1994 No. 100, and S.R. 1995 No. 114

(4)
Paragraph 1(1)(e) was substituted by regulation 3(3)(e) of S.R. 1990 No. 99

(5)
Schedule 3 was last substituted by regulation 4(3) of S.R. 1995 No. 114