Local Government Finance Act 1988

[F163BRestrictions on onward disclosure of Revenue and Customs informationE+W

(1)Information disclosed under section 63A or this section may not be further disclosed unless that further disclosure is—

(a)to a qualifying person for a qualifying purpose,

(b)for the purposes of the initiation or conduct of any proceedings relating to the enforcement of any obligation imposed by or under this Part of this Act,

(c)in pursuance of a court order,

(d)with the consent of each person to whom the information relates, or

(e)required or permitted under any other enactment.

(2)Information may not be disclosed under subsection (1)(a) to a qualifying person within section 63A(3)(c), (d), (e), (f) or (g) except with the consent of the Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (which may be general or specific).

(3)Information disclosed to a qualifying person under this section may be retained and used for any qualifying purpose.

(4)A person commits an offence if the person contravenes subsection (1) or (2) by disclosing information relating to a person whose identity—

(a)is specified in the disclosure, or

(b)can be deduced from it.

(5)It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section of disclosing information to prove that the person reasonably believed—

(a)that the disclosure was lawful, or

(b)that the information had already lawfully been made available to the public.

(6)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding [F2the general limit in a magistrates’ court] or to a fine, or to both;

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine, or to both.

(7)A prosecution for an offence under this section may be instituted only by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

(8)In relation to an offence under this section committed before [F32 May 2022] the reference in subsection (6)(a) to [F4the general limit in a magistrates’ court] is to be taken as a reference to 6 months.

(9)This section is without prejudice to the pursuit of any remedy or the taking of any action in relation to a contravention of subsection (1) or (2) (whether or not subsection (4) applies to the contravention).

(10)In this section—

  • “qualifying person” has the same meaning as in section 63A;

  • “qualifying purpose” has the same meaning as in that section.]

Textual Amendments

F1Ss. 63A-63C inserted (4.7.2016) by Enterprise Act 2016 (c. 12), ss. 31(2), 44(2)(d)