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%.