Merchant Shipping Act 1988

52 Disclosure of information to Secretary of State by other government departments

(1) No obligation as to secrecy or other restriction on the disclosure of information (whether imposed by statute or otherwise) shall preclude any of the persons mentioned in subsection (2) from disclosing—

(a) to the Secretary of State, or

(b) to an authorised officer of the Secretary of State,

information for the purpose of assisting the Secretary of State in the performance of his functions under Part I or Part II.

(2) The persons referred to in subsection (1) are—

(a) the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,

(b) the Secretaries of State respectively concerned with sea fishing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,

(c) the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland,

(d) the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, and

(e) an authorised officer of any of the persons falling within paragraphs (a) to (d) above.

(3) Information obtained by any person in pursuance of subsection (1) shall not be disclosed by him to any other person except where the disclosure is made—

(a) to a person to whom the information could have been disclosed by any of the persons mentioned in subsection (2) in accordance with subsection (1), or

(b) for the purposes of any legal proceedings arising out of Part I or Part II.