(1)The Registrar General may, for the purposes of facilitating the carrying out of the functions of Health Boards, [F1Public Health Scotland,] the Common Services Agency and local authorities, create and maintain, using the information mentioned in subsection (2), a register of individuals.
(2)That information is—
(a)information contained in—
(i)the registers of births and deaths transmitted to the Registrar General under the 1965 Act;
(ii)the Adopted Children Register;
(b)such information as the Registrar General may direct a Health Board[F2, Public Health Scotland] or the Common Services Agency to provide for the purposes of the creation and maintenance of the register referred to in subsection (1);
(c)information contained in a register of births, deaths or adoptions held by the Registrar General for England and Wales;
(d)information contained in a register held by a Minister of the Crown or a government department [F3or an NHS body] which is a register of individuals which exists for the same purpose as, or a similar purpose to, a register created under subsection (1);
(e)information contained in a register held by the Northern Ireland Central Services Agency for the Health and Social Services which is a register of individuals which exists for the same purpose as, or a similar purpose to, a register created under subsection (1);
(f)such other information held by such persons, or persons within such descriptions, or contained in such places as may be prescribed.
[F4(2A)In subsection (2)(d), “NHS body” has the same meaning as it has F5... in the National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41).]
(3)An entry in a register created under subsection (1) may contain only the following information—
(a)the person's name and surname and any previous names or surnames;
(b)the person's sex;
(c)the person's date of birth;
(d)a reference code indicating the Health Board which made the arrangements in consequence of which the person is presently provided with primary medical services (that expression being construed in accordance with the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 (c. 29));
(e)a reference code indicating any Health Board which made arrangements in consequence of which the person was previously provided with such services;
(f)a reference code indicating any body having, or having had, for an area in England or Wales, functions the same as, or similar to, those of a Health Board, in whose area is, or was, situated—
(i)any general medical practitioner practice with which the person was previously registered; or
(ii)the premises whose address was recorded for the purposes of such a registration as being the person's home address;
(g)a reference code indicating that the person was previously registered with a general medical practitioner practice in Northern Ireland;
(h)such reference numbers relating uniquely to the person as the Registrar General may determine; and
(i)such other information about the person as may be prescribed.
(4)The Registrar General may provide to Health Boards, the Common Services Agency, local authorities or such persons, or persons within such descriptions, as may be prescribed such information from a register created under subsection (1) as may, in accordance with regulations under subsection (6), be provided.
(5)The purposes for which information may be provided under subsection (4) are not limited to those referred to in subsection (1).
(6)The information which may be, or must not be, provided under subsection (4) to such recipients as are prescribed in relation to that information must be prescribed.
(7)In subsection (6), references to information include references to information of prescribed kinds, and the reference to recipients includes a reference to recipients of prescribed descriptions.
(8)This section does not prejudice section 1(3) of the 1965 Act or section 56 of this Act.
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 57(1) inserted (1.4.2020) by The Public Health Scotland Order 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/336), art. 1(3)(b), sch. 2 para. 5(2)(a) (with art. 4(4)(5))
F2Words in s. 57(2)(b) inserted (1.4.2020) by The Public Health Scotland Order 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/336), art. 1(3)(b), sch. 2 para. 5(2)(b) (with art. 4(4)(5))
F3Words in s. 57(2)(d) inserted (1.4.2008) by Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (c. 18), ss. 60(2)(a), 74; S.I. 2008/839, art. 2
F4S. 57(2A) inserted (1.4.2008) by Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (c. 18), ss. 60(2)(b), 74; S.I. 2008/839, art. 2
F5Words in s. 57(2A) omitted (1.7.2022) by virtue of Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31), ss. 87(3)(c), 186(6); S.I. 2022/734, reg. 2(a), Sch. (with regs. 13, 29, 30)