Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2000 No. 341

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Made

9th November 2000

Coming into operation

1st December 2000

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety(1), in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 62, 98, and 106 of, and paragraph 2A of 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, 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 Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 1st December 2000.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(3).

Amendment of regulation 1 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 1(2) of the principal Regulations (interpretation) in the definition of “health service sight test fee”—

(a) in sub-paragraph (a) for “£41·54” there shall be substituted “£42·79”; and

(b) in sub-paragraph (b) for “£15·01” there shall be substituted “£15·46”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 9th November 2000.

L.S.

D. A. Baker

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 9th November 2000.

L.S.

D. Sterling

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations 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 eye sight tests and the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 2 amends the definition of “health service sight test fee” in regulation 1(2) of the principal Regulations to reflect the values of the two levels of fees for the Health Service sight tests payable to ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians at the time these Regulations come into operation. These amounts are relevant to the determination of eligibility for, and the redemption value of, a voucher towards the cost of a sight test.

(1)

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

(2)

S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14) as amended by Article 3(2) of, and paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to, the Health and Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 (S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8)); paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 8 of the Health and Medicines (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24)); Article 34 of, and PartII of Schedule 5 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1)); there are other amendments which are not relevant.

(3)

S.R. 1997 No. 191; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 2000 No. 51