13.—(1) Regulations may provide that a student support authority may supply student support information of a prescribed description to a prescribed person for a prescribed purpose.
(2) A person may not be prescribed under paragraph (1) unless the person—
(a)is the governing body of an institution with which eligible students (as defined for the purposes of the student support scheme) are undertaking courses, or
(b)is a person who appears to the Department to be exercising functions of a public nature.
(3) Regulations under paragraph (1) may not allow information to be supplied except with the consent of every individual to whom the information relates, given in such manner as may be prescribed.
(4) Paragraph (3) does not apply to the supply of information for the purposes of any civil or criminal proceedings arising out of the student support scheme.
(5) Regulations under paragraph (1) may provide that information may be supplied under such regulations only if prescribed conditions are met.
(6) This Article does not limit the circumstances in which information may be supplied apart from this Article.
(7) In this Article—
“student support authority” means—
the Department;
any board or governing body by which any function of the Department is for the time being exercisable to any extent by virtue of Article 4(1) of the 1998 Order;
any person or body acting on behalf of the Department to any extent by virtue of Article 4(3) of the 1998 Order;
“student support scheme” means the provisions of regulations under Article 3 of the 1998 Order;
“student support information”, in relation to a student support authority, means any information which the student support authority holds in connection with, or in consequence of, the exercise of any function relating to the operation of the student support scheme.