Local Government Act 2000

63 Restrictions on disclosure of information. E+W

(1) Information obtained by ethical standards officers under section 61 or 62 must not be disclosed unless one or more of the following conditions is satisfied—

(a) the disclosure is made for the purposes of enabling the Standards Board for England, an ethical standards officer, [F1 the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales ] or the president, deputy president or any tribunal of either of the Adjudication Panels to perform their functions under this Part,

(b) the person to whom the information relates has consented to its disclosure,

(c) the information has previously been disclosed to the public with lawful authority,

(d) the disclosure is for the purposes of criminal proceedings in any part of the United Kingdom and the information in question was not obtained under section 62(2),

(e) the disclosure is made to the Audit Commission for the purposes of any functions of the Audit Commission or an auditor under the M1 Audit Commission Act 1998.

[F2 (f) the disclosure is made to the Auditor General for Wales for the purposes of any functions of the Auditor General for Wales or an auditor under Part 2 of the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004]

(2) The Secretary of State or a relevant authority in England may give notice in writing to any ethical standards officer with respect to—

(a) any document or information specified in the notice, or

(b) any class of documents or information so specified,

that, in his or (as the case may be) their opinion, the disclosure of that document or information, or of documents or information of that class, would be contrary to the public interest.

(3) Where notice is given under subsection (2) to an ethical standards officer, any document or information specified in the notice, or any document or information of a class so specified, may not be disclosed by the ethical standards officer or any other person.

(4) A person who discloses information or a document in contravention of subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or

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

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 63(1)(a) substituted (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 4 para. 6; S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2006/362, art. 4)

F2 S. 63(1)(f) inserted (1.4.2005) by Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 (c. 23), s. 73, Sch. 2 para. 54; S.I. 2005/558, art. 2, Sch. 1

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. III savings for effects of 2005 c. 10, s. 38 (1.4.2006) by The Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/362), arts. 1(1), 4

C2 S. 63(1) disclosure powers extended (14.12.2001) by 2001 c. 24, ss. 17, 127(2) (with s. 14(3))

C3 S. 63(1) applied (with modifications) (30.6.2003) by Local Authorities (Code of Conduct) (Local Determination) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1483), regs. 1(1)(2), 4

C4 S. 63(1) applied (with modifications) (1.4.2006) by The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (Standards Investigations) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/949), arts. 1(1), 3, Sch. 2 para. 5

C5 S. 63(2) modified (W.) (28.7.2001) by S.I. 2001/2286, art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 3

C6 S. 63(2) applied (with modifications) (W.) (1.4.2006) by The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (Standards Investigations) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/949), arts. 1(1), 3, Sch. 2 para. 6

C7 S. 63(3) modified (W.) (28.7.2001) by S.I. 2001/2286, art. 2, Sch. 1

C8 S. 63(3) applied (with modifications) (W.) (1.4.2006) by The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (Standards Investigations) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/949), arts. 1(1), 2, Sch. 1

Commencement Information

I1 S. 63 wholly in force at 28.7.2001; s. 63 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 108; s. 63 in force at 19.12.2000 in relation to England and to police authorities in Wales by S.I. 2000/3335, art. 2; s. 63 in force at 28.7.2001 in so far as not already in force see s. 108(4)-(6)

Marginal Citations

M1 1998 c. 18.