The Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005

Restricted information N.I.

179.—(1) Restricted information must not be disclosed—

(a) by the Board, or

(b) by any person who receives the information directly or indirectly from the Board.

(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to—

(a) paragraph (3), and

(b) Articles 180 to 185 and section 235 of the Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35).

(3) Subject to Article 184(4), restricted information may be disclosed with the consent of the person to whom it relates and (if different) the person from whom the Board obtained it.

(4) For the purposes of this Article and Articles 180 to 185, “restricted information” means any information obtained by the Board in the exercise of its functions which relates to the business or other affairs of any person, except for information—

(a) which at the time of the disclosure is or has already been made available to the public from other sources, or

(b) which is in the form of a summary or collection of information so framed as not to enable information relating to any particular person to be ascertained from it.

(5) Any person who discloses information in contravention of this Article is guilty of an offence and liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

(6) Information which—

(a) is obtained under Article 173 by a person authorised under paragraph (2)(b) of that Article, but

(b) if obtained by the Board, would be restricted information,

is treated for the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (3) and Articles 180 to 185 as restricted information which the person has received from the Board.