78.—(1) A disclosure of information under regulation 77 does not breach any restriction on such disclosure imposed by statute or otherwise.
(2) But nothing in that regulation authorises a disclosure that—
(a)contravenes the data protection legislation, or
(b)is prohibited by any of Parts 1 to 7 or Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016(1).
(3) Nothing in this Part is to be read as requiring a person who has acted or is acting as counsel or solicitor for any person to disclose any privileged information in their possession in that capacity.
(4) Regulation 77 does not limit the circumstances in which information may be disclosed apart from that regulation.
(5) Nothing in this Part limits any conditions which may be contained in a licence under Part 7.
(6) In this regulation—
“the data protection legislation” has the same meaning as in the Data Protection Act 2018 (see section 3 of that Act)(2);
“privileged information” means information with respect to which a claim to legal professional privilege (in Scotland, to confidentiality of communications) could be maintained in legal proceedings.
2016 c.25. Parts 2 and 5 have been amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c.3), Schedule 9(3), paragraph 74 and Part 7 has been amended by the Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12), Schedule 19(1), paragraph 202. Chapter 1 of Part 9 has been amended by S.I. 2017/859.
2018 c.12. There are amendments to this Act that are not relevant to these Regulations.