Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2003 No. 408

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Made

16th September 2003

Coming into operation

6th October 2003

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety(1), in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 45, 98, 106 and 107 of and paragraph 1(b) and 1B of Schedule 15 to the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(2) and with the approval of the Department of Finance and Personnel in so far as they relate to the remission of charges, and in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel in so far as they relate to travelling expenses, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 6th October 2003.

(2) In these Regulations –

“the principal Regulations” means the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989(3).

Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 2 of the principal Regulations (interpretation) –

(a)after the definition of “partner” insert “pension credit guarantee credit” means pension credit-guarantee credit under 1(3)(a) of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(4).

Amendment of regulation 4 of the principal Regulations

3.  At the end of regulation 4(2) (description of persons entitled to full remission and payment) add –

“or

(p)a person who is in receipt of the pension credit guarantee credit;

(q)a member of the same family as a person who is in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit.”.

Amendment of Schedule 1 of the principal Regulations

4.  In paragraph 2, after sub-paragraph (d) add –

“(e)as if the State Pension Credit (Consequential, Transitional and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(5) had not been made.”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 16th September 2003.

L.S.

Dr. J. F. Livingstone

Senior Officer of the

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel insofar as the foregoing Regulations relate to Travelling Expenses on 16th September 2003.

L.S.

Linda. S. Wilson

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

The Department of Department of Finance and Personnel hereby approves the foregoing Regulations insofar as they relate to Remission of Charges.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 16th September 2003.

L.S.

Linda. S. Wilson

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulation.)

These Regulations further amend the Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989 (“the principal Regulations”), which provide for remission and payment of certain charges which would otherwise be payable under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 and for the payment by the Department of travelling expenses incurred in attending a hospital.

Regulations 2 and 3 extends the description of persons entitled to full remission and payment of relevant charges or relevant travelling expenses to persons in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and members of their families.

Regulation 4 is a technical amendment to facilitate the calculation of claims under the Low Income Scheme following the introduction of Pension Credit.

(1)

See S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1), Article 3(6)

(2)

S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14). The relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1988/594 (N.I. 2) Article 14 and S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Article 34 and Part II of Schedule 5