The Provision of Health Services to Persons Not Ordinarily Resident (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022

Insertion of regulation 15A to the principal Regulations

3.  After regulation 15 (visitors exempt from charges – war pensioners and armed forces compensation scheme payment recipients) of the principal Regulations insert the following regulation—

“Visitors exempt from charges – visitors from Ukraine

15A.— (1) No charge may be made or recovered in respect of any services forming part of health services provided to a visitor who—

(a) is lawfully present in the United Kingdom, and

(b) is ordinarily resident in Ukraine.

(2) This paragraph applies to a visitor who, during the relevant period—

(a) received services forming part of health services and who is exempt from charge by virtue of—

(i) paragraph (1); or

(ii) regulation 22(1)(ba) (family members of visitors); or

(b) received services forming part of health services the need for which arose during the visit and is exempt from charge by virtue of being—

(i) an authorised companion; or

(ii) authorised child

who has been granted leave to enter the United Kingdom to accompany a person who is exempt from charge under paragraph (1).

(3) A visitor to whom paragraph (2) applies is to be treated for the purposes of these Regulations as if, at the time the services forming part of health services were provided, the visitor was a visitor in respect of whom no charge may be made or recovered for those services forming part of health services.

(4) Where, in respect of a visitor to whom paragraph (2) applies, a charge determined by the Department in respect of services forming part of health services—

(a) is yet to be made, no charge shall be made;

(b) is yet to be recovered, no charge shall be recovered; or

(c) has been made and payment received in respect of the charge, the sum paid in respect of the charge shall be repaid.

(5) In this regulation, the “relevant period” means the period from and including 24th February 2022 until the coming into operation of these Regulations.”.