Charges for Drugs and Appliances (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2002 No. 91

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

Charges for Drugs and Appliances (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Made

8th March 2002

Coming into operation

1st April 2002

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety(1) 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(2) 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 Charges for Drugs and Appliances (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2002.

(2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(3).

Amendment of regulation 3 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 3 of the principal Regulations (supply of drugs and appliances by chemists)—

(a) in paragraphs (1)(a), (b) and (3) for “£6·10” there shall be substituted “£6·20”; and

(b) in paragraph (1)(a) for “£12·20” there shall be substituted “£12·40”.

Amendment of regulation 4 of the principal Regulations

3.  In regulation 4 of the principal Regulations (supply of drugs and appliances by doctors)—

(a) in paragraphs (1)(a), (b) and (3) for “£6·10” there shall be substituted “£6·20”; and

(b) in paragraph (1)(a) for “£12·20” there shall be substituted “£12·40”.

Amendment of regulation 5 of the principal Regulations

4.  In regulation 5 of the principal Regulations (supply of drugs and appliances by a Board or an HSS trust)—

(a) in paragraphs (1)(a), (d) and (3) for “£6·10” there shall be substituted “£6·20”; and

(b) in paragraphs (1)(a) and (c) for “£12·20” there shall be substituted “£12·40”.

Amendment of regulation 9 of the principal Regulations

5.—(1) Regulation 9 of the principal Regulations (pre-payment certificates) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (5) for “£31·90” there shall be substituted “£32·40” and for “£87·60” there shall be substituted “£89·00”.

(3) For paragraph 9(4) there shall be substituted—

“(9) In paragraph (7) “the relevant period” means the period beginning one month after the date on which the pre-payment certificate became valid and ending with the date of its expiry.”

(4) For paragraph 12(5) there shall be substituted—

“(12) In paragraph (10) “the relevant period” means the period of three months beginning one month after the date on which the pre-payment certificate became valid.”

Amendment of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations

6.  For Schedule 1 of the principal Regulations there shall be substituted the following—

“SCHEDULE 1 Charges for Fabric Supports and Wigs

Column (1)	Column (2)
Specified Appliance	Specified Charge
Surgical Brassiere	£20·90
Abdominal or Spinal Support	£31·50
Stock Modacrylic Wig	£51·50
Partial Human Hair Wig	£135·90
Full Bespoke Human Hair Wig	£198·60”

Transitional provisions

7.  Where, on or after 1st April 2002—

(a) any appliance specified in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations is supplied pursuant to an order given before that date; or

(b) any pre-payment certificate is granted under regulation 9 of the principal Regulations pursuant to an application under that Regulation which was received before that date,

the principal Regulations shall have effect in relation to that supply or, as the case may be, that grant as if regulations 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of these Regulations had not come into operation.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 8th 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 Personnel hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 8th March 2002.

L.S.

Rodney Scott

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Charges for Drugs and Appliances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”), which provide for the making and recovery of charges for drugs and appliances supplied by doctors and chemists providing pharmaceutical services, and by hospitals and HSS trusts to out-patients.

The charge for each item on prescription is increased from £6·10 to £6·20. The sums prescribed for the grant of pre-payment certificates of exemption from prescription charges are increased from £31·90 to £32·40 for a 4 month certificate and from £87·60 to £89·00 for a 12 month certificate.

The charge for elastic stockings is increased from £6·10 to £6·20 for each item (from £12·20 to £12·40 per pair) and for tights from £12·20 to £12·40.

The charge for a partial human hair wig is increased from £133·70 to £135·90, and for a stock modacrylic wig from £50·70 to £51·50. The charge for a full bespoke human hair wig is increased from £195·40 to £198·60. The charge for a surgical brassiere is increased from £20·60 to £20·90 and for an abdominal or spinal support from £31·00 to £31·50.

Regulations 5(3) and 5(4) amend the definition of “relevant period” in Regulations 9(9) and (12) of the principal Regulations in order to make clearer the periods in respect of which refunds for pre-payment certificates may be claimed in certain circumstances.

Transitional arrangements are made in respect of pre-payment certificates, and appliances ordered, before 1st April 2002 (regulation 7).

(1)

See S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3(6)

(2)

S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14); the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1986/2229 (N.I. 24) Article 14, S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24) Article 7 and S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Article 34 and Part II of Schedule 5

(3)

S.R. 1997 No. 382; the relevant amending instrument is S.R. 2001 No. 123

(4)

Paragraph (9) was inserted by S.R. 2001 No. 123

(5)

Paragraph (12) was inserted by S.R. 2001 No. 123