The Secretary of State, or a person providing services to the Secretary of State, may supply relevant information to a qualifying person for prescribed purposes relating to welfare services or council tax.
A qualifying person who holds relevant information for a prescribed purpose relating to welfare services may supply that information to—
for a prescribed purpose relating to a relevant social security benefit.
A qualifying person who holds relevant information for a prescribed purpose relating to welfare services, council tax or housing benefit may—
Relevant information supplied under subsection (1) or (3) to a qualifying person may be supplied by that person to a person who provides qualifying welfare services for purposes connected with the provision of those services.
In subsection (4) services are qualifying welfare services if—
contributes or will contribute to the expenditure incurred in their provision.
The Secretary of State may not exercise the power in subsection (3) to prescribe purposes for which information may be supplied by a qualifying person so as to prescribe an excepted purpose in relation to excepted information held by a Welsh body.
In subsection (6)—
The Secretary of State may not exercise the power in subsection (3) to prescribe purposes for which information may be supplied by a qualifying person so as to prescribe an excepted purpose in relation to excepted information held by a Scottish body.
In subsection (8)—
Subsections (1) to (4) do not apply in a case where the supply or use of information is authorised by section 130.
In this section "qualifying person" means—
In this section—
"council tax" includes any local tax to fund local authority expenditure;
"person engaged in the administration of housing benefit" means—
(a)an authority which administers housing benefit,
(b)a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to housing benefit, or
(c)a person providing to such an authority services relating to housing benefit;
"relevant information" means information relating to—
(a)any relevant social security benefit, or
(b)welfare services;
"relevant social security benefit" means— a relevant social security benefit as defined in section 121DA(7) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, ora loan under section 18 of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 (loans for mortgage interest etc);
"Scottish body" means—
(a)a local authority in Scotland,
(b)a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to welfare services,
(c)a person providing to a local authority in Scotland services relating to welfare services, or
(d)a person prescribed or of a description prescribed by the Secretary of State;
"welfare services" includes services which provide accommodation, support, assistance, advice or counselling to individuals with particular needs, and for these purposes "assistance" includes assistance by means of a grant or loan or the provision of goods or services;
"Welsh body" means—
(a)a local authority in Wales,
(b)a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to welfare services,
(c)a person providing to a local authority in Wales services relating to welfare services, or
(d)a person prescribed or of a description prescribed by the Secretary of State.