56. Any medical question arising under this Scheme shall be determined—
(a)where a Tribunal constituted under the Pensions Appeal Tribunals Acts 1943 and 1949(1) has given a decision upon that question, in accordance with that decision, or, if an appeal from that decision is brought under those Acts, in accordance with the decision upon that appeal;
(b)where no such decision has been given and the question does not arise under Article 23, 24, 25 or 69, in accordance with a certificate on that question of a medical officer or board of medical officers appointed or recognised by the Secretary of State for the purpose, so, however, that where that question appears to the Secretary of State to raise a serious doubt or difficulty he may obtain the opinion thereon of one or more of a panel of independent medical experts nominated by the President of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Surgeons or the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and in that case that question shall be determined in accordance with that opinion.
This Act was amended and modified by the Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act 1949 (c. 12); sections 5 and 6 were amended by section 23 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (c. 44). Sections 5 and 6 were also amended by section 16 of the Social Security Act 1980 (c. 30), and section 6 was also amended by section 43 of the Social Security and Housing Benefits Act 1982 (c. 24).