Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Made10th January 2002

Coming into operation1st February 2002

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety1, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 62, 98, 106, and 107(6) of, and paragraph 2A of Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19722 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 interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation on 1st February 2002.

(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 1 of the principal Regulations2.

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

(a)

in sub-paragraph (a) for “£42·85” there shall be substituted “£44·39”; and

(b)

in sub-paragraph (b) for “£15·52” there shall be substituted “£16·08”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 10th January 2002.

D. J. Thompson

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 10th January 2002.

Rodney Scott

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

(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 Health Service sight tests payable to ophthalmic medical practitioners and opticians (as determined under regulation 12 of the General Ophthalmic Services Regulation (Northern Ireland) 1986 – S.R. 1986 No. 163). These amounts are relevant to the determination of eligibility for, and the redemption value of, a voucher towards the cost of a sight test.