Title, commencement, application and interpretation

1.–(1) The title of these Regulations is the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) (Wales) (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2009 and they come into force on 28 September 2009.

(2) These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.

(3) In these Regulations–

(a) "the principal Regulations" ("y prif Reoliadau") means the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) (Wales) Regulations 2007(2); and

(b) "the Income Support Regulations" ("y Rheoliadau Cymhorthdal Incwm") means the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987(3).

Modification of the Income Support Regulations in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations

2.–(1) Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (Modifications of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987) is amended as follows.

(2) In Table A, in the modifications relating to regulation 66A of the Income Support Regulations (treatment of student loans), in the first entry, for "Guide to Student Support issued by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland 2007-2008" substitute "Student Support Information Guide 2009-2010 issued by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland(4)".

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) (Wales) Regulations 2007 ("the principal Regulations").

The principal Regulations make provision so that persons who are either in receipt of certain state benefits or who are on a low income are able to obtain the remission or repayment of certain charges which would otherwise be payable under the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 ("NHS charges") and the payment of travelling expenses incurred in obtaining certain NHS services ("NHS travelling expenses").

In calculating a person´s resources and requirements under the principal Regulations, in order to establish whether a person can claim entitlement to the remission of NHS charges and the payment of NHS travelling expenses, a modified version of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 ("the Income Support Regulations") is applied.

Regulation 2 updates the reference to the publication which describes additional loans paid under the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007. These loans are disregarded in the calculation of a student´s loan income when a person´s entitlement to the payment of NHS travelling expenses and the remission of NHS charges is being established under the principal Regulations.