The Deregulation and Contracting Out (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Disclosures by contracting parties to contractor C

4.—(1) This paragraph applies where another person (“contractor C”) is authorised to exercise a function of another Department, Minister, office-holder or district council (“authority C”).

(2) The enactment or obligation does not prevent or penalise the disclosure of relevant information by contractor A or an employee of his, or authority A or an authorised officer of that authority; to contractor C or an employee of his, if—

(a) the disclosure is necessary or expedient for the purpose of facilitating the exercise of the relevant function, a related function or a function of authority C;

(b) where the disclosure is by contractor A or an employee of his, the disclosure falls within a description of disclosures certified by authority A (whether in the authorisation or otherwise) to be capable of being so necessary or expedient; and

(c) the information could be lawfully disclosed, for that purpose, by authority A to authority C.