2012 No. 259

Health And Personal Social Services

Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012

Made

Coming into operation

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety1 makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 62, 98, 106 and 107(6) of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19722, with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

In accordance with Article 62(3) of that Order it has consulted with such organisations as appeared to the Department to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians.

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 1st August 2012.

2

In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19973.

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations2

In regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—

a

in paragraph (1)(b) for “£52.90” substitute “£54.20”; and

b

in paragraph (3) for “£13.70” substitute “£14.00”.

Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations3

1

In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values – supply and replacement)4—

a

omit paragraph 10 (including columns 2 and 3 of that paragraph); and

b

in column 3 (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the Table below (old amount) substitute the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that Table (new amount).

Table

Column 1

Old Amount

Column 2

New Amount

£36.20

£37.10

£55.10

£56.40

£80.60

£82.60

£182.00

£186.50

£62.70

£64.20

£79.70

£81.60

£103.30

£105.80

£200.10

£205.10

£186.40

£191.00

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 “£11.80” substitute “£12.10”;

b

in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£14.20” substitute “£14.60”;

c

in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£4.00” substitute “£4.10”;

d

in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.50” substitute “£4.60”;

e

in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—

i

in sub-head (i) for “£59.70” substitute “£61.20”;

ii

in sub-head (ii) for “£52.90” substitute “£54.20”; and

iii

in sub-head (iii) for “£28.60” substitute “£29.30”;

f

in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£59.70” substitute “£61.20”;

g

in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment – single vision lenses) for “£13.70” substitute “£14.00”; and

h

in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment – other cases) for “£34.60” substitute “£35.50”.

3

For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher value – repair)5, substitute Schedule 3 as set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of Regulation 2(a), 3 and 44

The amendments made in regulations 2(a), 3 and 4 apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 17 of the principal Regulations on or after 1st August 2012.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 28th June 2012

seal_r00001Eugene RooneyA senior officer of theDepartment 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 28th June 2012

seal_r00001John McKibbinA senior officer of theDepartment of Finance and Personnel

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulation 4(3)

SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUE REPAIR

Regulation 19(2) and (3)

Letter Codes - Values

Nature of repair

A

£

B

£

C

£

D

£

E

£

F

£

G

£

H

£

I

£

Repair or replacement of one lens

11.55

21.20

34.30

86.25

25.10

33.80

45.90

95.55

88.50

Repair or replacement of two lenses

23.10

42.40

68.60

172.50

50.20

67.60

91.80

191.10

177.00

Repair or placement of:

the front of a frame

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

11.90

a side of a frame

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

7.05

the whole frame

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

14.00

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“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 19 of the principal Regulations to increase the redemption value of a voucher issued towards the cost of replacement of a single contact lens and to increase the maximum contribution by way of a voucher to the cost of repair of a frame.

Regulation 3 and the Schedule amend the Schedules to the principal Regulations. Firstly, it omits paragraph 10 in Schedule 1; secondly the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses is increased; thirdly, the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances are increased; and fourthly, the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances is increased.

Regulation 4 provides that the increases contained in regulation 2(a), 3 and 4 apply only in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 1st August 2012.