72 Supply of information for certain purposes.E+W+S
(1)The Secretary of State may by regulations make such provision for or in connection with any of the following matters, namely—
(a)the use by a person within subsection (2) of social security information held by that person,
(b)the supply (whether to a person within subsection (2) or otherwise) of social security information held by a person within that subsection,
(c)the relevant purposes for which a person to whom such information is supplied under the regulations may use it, and
(d)the circumstances and extent (if any) in and to which a person to whom such information is supplied under the regulations may supply it to any other person (whether within subsection (2) or not),
as the Secretary of State considers appropriate in connection with any provision to which subsection (3) applies or in connection with any scheme or arrangements to which subsection (4) applies.
(2)The persons within this subsection are—
(a)a Minister of the Crown;
(b)a person providing services to, or designated for the purposes of this section by an order of, a Minister of the Crown;
(c)a local authority (within the meaning of the Administration Act); and
(d)a person providing services to, or authorised to exercise any function of, any such authority.
(3)This subsection applies to any provision made by or under—
(a)any of the sections of the Administration Act inserted by section 57, 58 or 71 of this Act,
(b)section 60 of this Act, or
(c)the M1Jobseekers Act 1995.
(4)This subsection applies to—
(a)any scheme designated by regulations under subsection (1), being a scheme operated by the Secretary of State (whether under arrangements with any other person or not) for any purposes connected with employment or training in the case of persons of a particular category or description;
(b)any arrangements of a description specified in such regulations, being arrangements made by the Secretary of State for any such purposes.
(5)Regulations under subsection (1) may, in particular, authorise information supplied to a person under the regulations—
(a)to be used for the purpose of amending or supplementing other information held by that person; and
(b)if it is so used, to be supplied to any other person, and used for any purpose, to whom or for which that other information could be supplied or used.
(6)In this section—
“relevant purposes” means purposes connected with—
(a)social security, child support or war pensions, or
(b)employment or training;
“social security information” means information relating to social security, child support or war pensions;
and in this subsection “war pensions” means war pensions within the meaning of section 25 of the M2Social Security Act 1989 (establishment and functions of war pensions committees).
(7)Any reference in this section to purposes connected with employment or training includes purposes connected with the existing or future employment or training prospects or needs of persons, and (in particular) assisting or encouraging persons to enhance their employment prospects.