20(1)After subsection (7) of section 54 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (claims relating to attendance allowance, disability living allowance and disability working allowance) there shall be inserted the following subsection—
“(7A)Any reference in subsections (3) to (7) above to a medical practitioner who is an officer of the Secretary of State includes a reference to a medical practitioner who is provided by any person in pursuance of a contract entered into with the Secretary of State.”
(2)Sub-paragraph (3) below applies where a consent given before the commencement of this Part authorises the disclosure of any information to the Secretary of State, or to a medical practitioner who is an officer of the Secretary of State.
(3)The consent shall have effect as if it also authorised the disclosure of the information—
(a)to a medical practitioner who is provided by any person in pursuance of a contract entered into with the Secretary of State, and
(b)if and to the extent that the Secretary of State so directs, to any employee of such a practitioner.
(4)In this paragraph—
“employee”, in relation to a medical practitioner, includes any person who performs ancillary services for the practitioner, and any employee of such a person;
“medical practitioner” has the same meaning as in that Act.