The Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

• Citation: S.I. 2010/1651
• Sections: 3

Section 1 Citation and commencement

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2010.

(2) These Regulations come into force:

(a) for the purposes of assessing claims and making decisions on eligibility, on 15th October 2010; and

(b) for all other purposes, on 11th April 2011.

Section 2 Amendment of regulation 12 of the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991

(1) Regulation 12 of the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991 is amended as follows.

(2) After paragraph (1) insert—

(1A)

(a) For the purposes of section 73(1AB)(a) of the Act (mobility component for the severely visually impaired) a person is to be taken to satisfy the condition that he has a severe visual impairment if—

(i) he has visual acuity, with appropriate corrective lenses if necessary, of less than 3/60; or

(ii) he has visual acuity of 3/60 or more, but less than 6/60, with appropriate corrective lenses if necessary, a complete loss of peripheral visual field and a central visual field of no more than 10° in total.

(b) For the purposes of section 73(1AB)(b), the conditions are that he has been certified as severely sight impaired or blind by a consultant ophthalmologist.

(c) In this paragraph—

(i) references to visual acuity are to be read as references to the combined visual acuity of both eyes in cases where a person has both eyes;

(ii) references to measurements of visual acuity are references to visual acuity measured on the Snellen Scale;

(iii) references to visual field are to be read as references to the combined visual field of both eyes in cases where a person has both eyes.

Section 3 Health care professionals

For the purposes of section 39(1) of the Social Security Act 1998 (meaning of health care professional), in relation to a claim for disability living allowance under section 73(1AB) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, the following persons are health care professionals—

(a) an optometrist registered with the General Optical Council;

(b) an orthoptist registered with the Health Professions Council.