{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welfare-reform-act-northern-ireland-2007/section-55",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welfare-reform-act-northern-ireland-2007/section-55.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2007/2",
  "legislation_title": "Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welfare-reform-act-northern-ireland-2007",
  "path": "section/55",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "55",
  "heading": "Medical examinations",
  "text": "(1) The 1998 Order is amended as follows.\n(2) In Article 2 (interpretation), in paragraph (2), after the definition of “the Department” insert—\n““health care professional” means—\n(a) a registered medical practitioner;\n(b) a registered nurse;\n(c) an occupational therapist or physiotherapist registered with a regulatory body established by an Order in Council under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 (c. 8); or\n(d) a member of such other profession regulated by a body mentioned in section 25(3) of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 (c. 17) as the Department may prescribe;”.\n(3) In Article 19 (medical examination required by the Department), in paragraphs (1) and (2)(b), for “medical practitioner” substitute “ health care professional approved by the Department ”.\n(4) In Article 20 (medical examination required by appeal tribunal), in paragraph (2), for “medical practitioner” substitute “ health care professional approved by the Department ”.\n(5) In that Article, after paragraph (2), insert—\n“(2A) The power under paragraph (2) to refer a person to a health care professional approved by the Department includes power to specify the description of health care professional to whom the person is to be referred.”.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2007/2/section/55",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:21:31.107511+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}