These Regulations have effect to amend the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 1988 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for the remission and repayment of certain charges which would otherwise be payable under the National Health Service Act 1977 and for the payment of travelling expenses incurred in attending a hospital. The textual amendments of the principal Regulations which are made by the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) Amendment Regulations 1999 and which extend to England are made to have effect in Wales.

The amendments insert a definition of “amount withdrawn” and substitute the definition of “disability working allowance” with a definition of “disabled person’s tax credit” and also substitute the definition of “family credit” with a definition of “working families' tax credit”.

The amendments alter regulation 4 of the principal Regulations to take account of the changes occurring on 5th October 1999 in the income tax and social security systems when family credit and disability working allowance are replaced with working families' tax credit and disabled person’s tax credit.

They also amend the definition of “voluntary payment” referred to in the entry relating to “regulation 65” in Table A of Part I of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations to take account of the changes in maintenance provision for students by adding reference to a student’s loan.

The regulations contain a transitional provision that provides that the entitlement to remission of charges established by virtue of regulation 4(c), (d), (g) or (h) of the principal Regulations shall continue whilst entitlement to or payment of family credit or disability working allowance continues.