Coronavirus Act 2020

Required medical evidence for directions for the transfer of prisoners etc to hospital

17 (1) The Department of Justice in Northern Ireland may give a direction under a provision listed in sub-paragraph (3) if the Department—

(a) is satisfied that complying with the requirement under that provision for written reports from at least two medical practitioners in accordance with that provision is impractical or would involve undesirable delay, and

(b) is satisfied on the basis of a written report from a single relevant medical practitioner of the matters of which it would (but for this paragraph) have to be satisfied on the written reports of at least two practitioners as referred to in sub-paragraph (a),

and any other conditions for giving the direction are met.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1), “relevant medical practitioner” means a medical practitioner referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) (as the case may be) of section 212(4) or (as the case may be) 223(5).

(3) Those provisions are—

(a) section 211(1) (direction for removal to hospital of person serving custodial sentence etc);

(b) section 214(1) (direction for removal to hospital of civil prisoner or immigration detainee);

(c) section 217(1) (direction for removal to hospital of person remanded in custody by magistrates’ court);

(d) section 220(1) (direction for removal to hospital of certain other detainees).