Disclosure of social security information by the Secretary of State

5.—(1) In a scheme year the Secretary of State is authorised to supply an electricity supplier with relevant information in relation to a person whom the Secretary of State believes to be a qualifying customer of that supplier in that scheme year for the purpose of—

(a) enabling the Secretary of State to give the supplier a notice under regulation 6(1) of the WHD Regulations specifying the persons to whom the supplier must provide the prescribed rebate in accordance with those Regulations;

(b) enabling the supplier to so provide that rebate; and

(c) enabling the supplier to offer relevant assistance to that customer.

(2) If relevant information about a person whom the Secretary of State believes to be a qualifying customer of an electricity supplier is supplied to that supplier by virtue of paragraph (1), that supplier may use that information for the purpose of—

(a) providing the prescribed rebate in accordance with the WHD Regulations;

(b) enabling the supplier to offer relevant assistance to that customer.

(3) In this regulation—

“relevant assistance” means—

(a)

energy efficiency measures, thermal efficiency measures and advice and assistance relating to energy and thermal efficiency;

(b)

advice and assistance relating to the generation of electricity or heat produced by microgeneration or the production of heat produced by any plant which relies wholly or mainly on wood as a fuel;

(c)

advice and assistance relating to the reduction of energy consumption;

(d)

inclusion on the priority services register;

(e)

assistance in relation to debt or disconnection;

“relevant information”, in relation to a person, means—

(a)

the name, any known alias and address of that person;

(b)

the name and any known alias of the partner of that person;

(c)

the name and any known alias of any person appointed to act on behalf of that person.