Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Payments for Optical Appliances) Amendment (No. 4) Regulations 1988 and shall come into force on 1st December 1988.

(2) In these Regulations, the"principal Regulations" means the National Health Service (Payments for Optical Appliances) Regulations 1986(2).

Amendment of the principal Regulations

2.-(1) In regulation 1(2) of the principal Regulations (interpretation) after the definition of"responsible authority" there is inserted the following definition:-

• ""small glasses" means glasses the lens apertures of which have datum centres not more than 56 millimetres apart; and for this purpose"datum centre" is to be construed in accordance with Part One of British Standard 3521: 1962 (Glossary of Terms relating to Ophthalmic Lenses and Spectacle Frames) published by the British Standards Institution, as effective immediately before 7th November 1988;".

(2) In regulation 7 of the principal Regulations (payments to suppliers) at the end of paragraph (2)(c) there is added the following head:-

"(iv) where the claim relates to a voucher the value of which is increased in accordance with paragraph 1(1)(e) of Part II of Schedule 1, certified that the glasses supplied were small glasses.".

(3) In Part II of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, special glasses and complex appliances)-

(a)for paragraph 1(1)(e) there is substituted the following:-

"(e) by £31.50 in respect of small glasses;"

(b)after paragraph 1(3) there is added the following:-

"(4)Where the face value of a voucher is increased in accordance with sub-paragraph (1)(g) of this paragraph, it may not be further increased in accordance with sub-paragraph (1)(e) of this paragraph.".

Saving for existing vouchers

3. The amendments made by regulation 2 of these Regulations shall not have effect in relation to any voucher issued before these Regulations come into force, or in relation to any claim for payment in respect of any such voucher.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Payments for Optical Appliances) Regulations 1986 which provide for payments to be made, by means of a voucher system, in respect of the cost of optical appliances supplied to certain categories of persons following a sight test under the National Health Service in England and Wales.

The amendments made by regulation 2 concern the inclusion in the voucher of a supplement for the cost of unusually small glasses, typically for very young children. They alter the type of glasses which qualify for the supplement from glasses prescribed for a person whose pupils are not more than 60 millimetres apart to glasses with lens apertures the datum centres of which are not more than 56 millimetres apart ("small glasses"). Regulation 2(2) makes it a condition of payment that where the claim for payment is increased by the supplement, the supplier must certify that the glasses supplied are small glasses.

Regulation 3 provides that the amendments are not to affect the value of vouchers issued before the coming into force of these Regulations.

British Standard 3521: 1962, referred to in regulation 2(1) of these Regulations, may be obtained from any of the sales outlets operated by the British Standards Institution or direct by post from the Institution at Linford Wood, Milton Keynes, MK14 6LE.