These Regulations further amend the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989 (“the principal Regulations”), which provide for remission and repayment of certain charges which would otherwise be payable under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 and for the payment by the Department of travelling expenses incurred in attending a hospital.

Regulations 2 amends the definition of “capital limit” as it applies to people living permanently in a nursing or residential care home or in accommodation provided by Boards under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972. This brings it into line with the capital limits applying to the calculations which determine such people’s liability to pay for their care. Table A of Schedule 1 is amended to apply such capital limits to calculations pursuant to regulation 53 of the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 which is applied with modifications to the remission calculations in the principal Regulations (regulation 4).

Regulation 3 amends regulation 4 of the principal Regulations to increase the income level at which recipients of tax credits are entitled to remission from charges under the principal Regulations.

Regulation 6 of the principal Regulations is amended by providing, in relation to claims for repayment of relevant charges or travelling expenses, that the claimant’s resources and requirements are to be calculated by reference to the date when the charges and expenses were paid in full.