The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Amendment (No.2) Regulations 1995

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1989, 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 of these Regulations amends regulation 1(2) of the principal Regulations in order to include a definition of disability working allowance.

Regulations 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of these Regulations amend regulations 4(2), 9(3), 10(3), 11(3) and 17(2) and (3) respectively of the principal Regulations so as to require the ophthalmic medical practitioner, optician or other responsible authority completing an optical voucher to include on it the patient’s date of birth.

Regulation 4 of these Regulations extends the categories of eligibility for payments towards the cost of optical appliances to include people in receipt of disability working allowance whose capital resources (calculated in accordance with the Regulations concerning entitlement to that allowance) were £8000 or less at the time that allowance was claimed, and also certain relatives of such people.

Regulation 9 of these Regulations amends regulation 20 of the principal Regulations (redemption value for replacement or repair) to increase the value of an optical voucher issued towards the cost of replacing a single contact lens, and to increase the maximum contribution by way of voucher to the cost of repairing a frame.

Regulation 10(1) amends Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses.

Regulation 10(2) and the Schedule substitute a new Schedule 2 in the principal Regulations to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances.

Regulation 10(3) increases the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances.

The increases in voucher values range from approximately 1.68% to 4.16% (approximately 1.94% or 3.53% in the case of vouchers for the supply of optical appliances).