Optical Charges and Payments and General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.
(1)
These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments and General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation—
(a)
except for regulations 3 and 6, on 1st April 2002; and
(b)
regulations 3 and 6 on 9th April 2002.
(2)
In these Regulations—
(a)
(b)
Amendment of the 1997 Regulations
2.
In regulation 2 of the 1997 Regulations (charges for optical appliances supplied by an HSS trust)—
(a)
in paragraph (3) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(b)
in paragraph (5)(b) for “£53·80” and “£87·50” in both places where they occur there shall be substituted “£54·70” and “£89·00” respectively.
3.
4.
In regulation 19 of the 1997 Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—
(a)
in paragraph (1)(b) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(b)
in paragraph (3) for “£11·30” there shall be substituted “£11·50”.
5.
(1)
Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
Old amount | New amount |
£ 30·00 | £30·50 |
£ 45·60 | £46·40 |
£ 62·10 | £63·20 |
£140·30 | £142·70 |
£ 51·80 | £52·70 |
£ 65·90 | £67·00 |
£ 79·60 | £81·00 |
£154·30 (in both places where it appears) | £157·00 |
£ 43·90 | £44·60 |
(2)
In Schedule 2 to the 1997 Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—
(a)
in paragraph 1(1)(a) (prism — single vision lens) for “£6·30” there shall be substituted “£9·90”;
(b)
in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism — other lens) for “£7·20” there shall be substituted “£11·90”;
(c)
in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£3·20” there shall be substituted “£3·30”;
(d)
in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£3·70” there shall be substituted “£3·80”;
(e)
in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—
(i)
in sub-head (i) for “£49·40” there shall be substituted “£50·20”;
(ii)
in sub-head (ii) for “£43·90” there shall be substituted “£44·60”; and
(iii)
in sub-head (iii) for “£23·80” there shall be substituted “£24·20”;
(f)
in paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) for “£49·40” there shall be substituted “£50·20”;
(g)
in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£10·50” there shall be substituted “£10·70”; and
(h)
in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£26·50” there shall be substituted “£27·00”.
(3)
Amendment of the 1986 Regulations
F16.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 7th March 2002.
The Department of Finance and Personal hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 7th March 2002.
SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE 1997 REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS
SCHEDULE 3Voucher Value — Repair
Letter Codes—Values
Nature of repair to appliance
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H & I
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Repair or replacement of one lens
9·50
17·45
25·85
65·60
20·60
27·75
34·75
72·75
Repair or replacement of 2 lenses
19·00
34·90
51·70
131·20
41·20
55·50
69·50
145·50
Repair or replacement of:
the front of a frame
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
9·75
a side of a frame
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
5·80
the whole frame
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
11·50
These Regulations further amend the Optical Charges and Payments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the 1997 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. The Regulations also amend the General Ophtalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the 1986 Regulations”) which provide for the arrangemments under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians provide General Ophthalmic Services.
Regulation 2 amends regulation 2 of the 1997 Regulations to provide for an increase in the charges for glasses and contact lenses supplied by an HSS trust.
Regulation 3 amends regulation 8 of the 1997 Regulations to increase the income level at which recipients of tax credit are entitled to health service optical vouchers.
Regulation 4 amends regulation 19 of the 1997 Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair) to increase the redemption value of two categories of vouchers, namely, vouchers for replacement and vouchers for repair.
Regulation 5(1) amends Schedule 1 to the 1997 Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses.
Regulation 5(2) amends Schedule 2 to the 1997 Regulations by increasing the additional values for vouchers in respect of prisms, tints, and special categories of appliances.
Regulations 5(3) and the Schedule substitute a new Schedule 3 in the 1997 Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of repair and replacement of optical appliances.
Regulation 6 amends regulation 15 of the 1986 Regulations to increase the income level used in determining eligibility to free health service sight tests for recipients of tax credits.
The rate of increase is, on average, approximately 1·95%.