After section 7 of the Administration Act there shall be inserted—
(1)Regulations may, for the purpose of supplementing the persons or bodies to whom claims for relevant benefits may be made, make provision—
(a)as regards housing benefit or council tax benefit, for claims for that benefit to be made to—
(i)a Minister of the Crown, or
(ii)a person providing services to a Minister of the Crown;
(b)as regards any other relevant benefit, for claims for that benefit to be made to—
(i)a local authority,
(ii)a person providing services to a local authority, or
(iii)a person authorised to exercise any function of a local authority relating to housing benefit or council tax benefit.
(2)Regulations may make provision for or in connection with—
(a)the forwarding by a relevant authority of—
(i)claims received by virtue of any provision authorised by subsection (1) above, and
(ii)information or evidence supplied in connection with making such claims (whether supplied by persons making the claims or by other persons);
(b)the receiving and forwarding by a relevant authority of information or evidence relating to social security matters supplied by, or the obtaining by a relevant authority of such information or evidence from—
(i)persons making, or who have made, claims for a relevant benefit, or
(ii)other persons in connection with such claims,
including information or evidence not relating to the claims or benefit in question;
(c)the recording by a relevant authority of information or evidence relating to social security matters supplied to, or obtained by, the authority and the holding by the authority of such information or evidence (whether as supplied or obtained or as recorded);
(d)the giving of information or advice with respect to social security matters by a relevant authority to persons making, or who have made, claims for a relevant benefit.
(3)In paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (2) above—
(a)references to claims for a relevant benefit are to such claims whether made as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (b) above or not; and
(b)references to persons who have made such claims include persons to whom awards of benefit have been made on the claims.
(4)Regulations under this section may make different provision for different areas.
(5)Regulations under any other enactment may make such different provision for different areas as appears to the Secretary of State expedient in connection with any exercise by regulations under this section of the power conferred by subsection (4) above.
(6)In this section—
(a)“benefit” includes child support or a war pension (any reference to a claim being read, in relation to child support, as a reference to an application under the [1991 c. 48.] Child Support Act 1991 for a maintenance assessment);
(b)“local authority” means an authority administering housing benefit or council tax benefit;
(c)“relevant authority” means—
(i)a Minister of the Crown,
(ii)a person providing services to a Minister of the Crown,
(iii)a local authority,
(iv)a person providing services to a local authority, or
(v)a person authorised to exercise any function of a local authority relating to housing benefit or council tax benefit;
(d)“relevant benefit” means housing benefit, council tax benefit or any other benefit prescribed for the purposes of this section;
(e)“social security matters” means matters relating to social security, child support or war pensions;
and in this subsection “war pension” means a war pension within the meaning of section 25 of the [1989 c. 24.] Social Security Act 1989 (establishment and functions of war pensions committees).”