2002 No. 547

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, ENGLAND

The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2002

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

except for regulation 2

regulation 2

The Secretary of State for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 38, 78(1) and 126(4) of, and paragraphs 2 and 2A of Schedule 12 to, the National Health Service Act 19771 and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations—

Citation, commencement, interpretation and extent1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2002.

2

These Regulations shall come into force—

a

except for regulation 2, on 1st April 2002; and

b

regulation 2, on 9th April 2002.

3

In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 19972.

4

These Regulations extend to England only.

Amendment of regulation 8 of the principal Regulations2

In regulation 8(3)(c) and (g) of the principal Regulations (eligibility—supply of optical appliances)3 for “£71.00” on each occasion it appears there shall be substituted “£72.20”.

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations3

In regulation 19 of the principal 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”.

Amendment of the Schedules to the principal Regulations4

1

In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values–supply and replacement) in column (3) (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the table below there shall be substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that table.

TABLE

(1)

(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 principal Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—

a

in paragraph 1(1)(a) for “£6.30” there shall be substituted “£9.90”;

b

in paragraph 1(1)(b) for “£7.20” there shall be substituted “£11.90”;

c

in paragraph 1(1)(c) for “£3.20” there shall be substituted “£3.30”;

d

in paragraph 1(1)(d) for “£3.70” there shall be substituted “£3.80”;

e

in paragraph 1(1)(e) for “£49.40”, “£43.90”, and “£23.80” there shall be substituted “£50.20”, “£44.60” and “£24.20” respectively;

f

in paragraph 1(1)(g) for “£49.40” there shall be substituted “£50.20”;

g

in paragraph 2(a) for “£10.50” there shall be substituted “£10.70”;

h

in paragraph 2(b) for “£26.50” there shall be substituted “£27.00”.

3

For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher values—repair), there shall be substituted the Schedule 3 set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of these Regulations5

The amendments made in these Regulations apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 17 of the principal Regulations on or after 1st April 2002.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Hazel BlearsParliamentary Under Secretary of State,Department of Health

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulation 4(3)

SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUES—REPAIR

Regulation 19(2) and (3)

(1)

(2)

Nature of Repair

Letter Codes–Values

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 two 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

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 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 the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 2 amends regulation 8 of the principal Regulations to increase the income level at which recipients of tax credits are entitled to supply of NHS optical appliances.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair) to increase the redemption value of a voucher issued towards the cost of replacement of a single contact lens and to increase the maximum contribution by way of a voucher to the cost of repair of a frame.

Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations is amended by regulation 4 to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses. Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations is amended to increase the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.

A new Schedule 3 is substituted in the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances (regulation 4 and the Schedule).

In most cases the rate of increase is approximately 1.7%. There are higher increases for prisms.