Section 122D — Social Security Administration Act 1992: Supply of information by authorities administering benefit

Supply of information by authorities administering benefit 122D 1 The Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department may require—

a an authority administering housing benefit or council tax benefit; or b a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to such a benefit, to supply relevant benefit information held by the authority or other person to, or to a person providing services to, the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department for use for any purpose relating to social security , child support or war pensions, employment or training, private pensions policy or retirement planning .

2 The Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department may require—

a an authority administering housing benefit or council tax benefit; or b a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to such a benefit, to supply benefit policy information held by the authority or other person to, or to a person providing services to, the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department. 2A Information supplied under subsection (2) , in addition to any other purpose for which the information may be used, may be used for any purpose relating to private pensions policy or retirement planning.

3 Information shall be supplied under subsection (1) or (2) above in such manner and form, and in accordance with such requirements, as may be specified in directions given by the Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the Northern Ireland Department .

4 In subsection (1) “relevant benefit information”, in relation to an authority or other person, means any information which is relevant to the exercise of any function relating to a relevant social security benefit by the authority or other person.

5 In subsection (2) above “benefit policy information” means any information which may be relevant to the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department—

a in preparing estimates of likely future expenditure on any relevant social security benefit ; or b in developing policy relating to any relevant social security benefit .

6 In this section— “private pensions policy” means policy relating to occupational pension schemes or personal pension schemes (within the meaning given by section 1 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993); “relevant social security benefit” has the same meaning as in section 121DA above; “retirement planning” means promoting financial planning for retirement.