The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1998

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1998 and shall come into force on 1st April 1998.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the National Health Service (Optimal Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997(1).

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations

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

(a) in paragraph (1)(b), for “£39.80” substitute “£40.90”; and

(b) in paragraph (3), for “£10.20” substitute “£10.50”.

Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations

3.—(1) In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values—supply and replacement) in column (3) (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the table below substitute the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that table.

TABLE

(1)	(2)
Old amount	New amount
£27.20	£28.00
£41.30	£42.50
£56.30	£57.90
£110.60	£113.70
£46.90	£48.20
£59.70	£61.40
£71.90	£73.90
£121.60 (in both places where it appears)	£125.00
£39.80	£40.90

(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 “£5.30” substitute “£5.40”;

(b) in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism—other lens), for “£6.50” substitute “£6.70”;

(c) in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens), for “£2.80” substitute “£2.90”;

(d) in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens), for “£3.30” substitute “£3.40”;

(e) in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses), for “£44.80” substitute “£46.10”, for “£39.80” substitute “£40.90”, and for “£21.50” substitute “£22.10”;

(f) in paragraph 1(1)(f) (photochromic lenses), for “£2.80” substitute “£2.90” and for “£3.30” substitute “£3.40”;

(g) in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames), for “£44.80” substitute “£46.10”;

(h) in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment—single vision lenses), for “£4.50” substitute “£4.60”; and

(i) in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment—other lenses), for “£24.10” substitute “£24.80”.

(3) For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher values—repair), substitute the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of these Regulations

4.  The amendments made by these Regulations 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 April 1998.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Alan Milburn

Minister of State,

Department of Health

3rd March 1998