Digital Economy Act 2017

71 Accreditation for the purposes of this Chapter

(1) The Statistics Board—

(a) may accredit a person as a person who may be involved in the processing of information for disclosure under subsection (1) of section 64,

(b) may accredit a person as a person to whom information may be disclosed under that subsection,

(c) may accredit a person as a person by whom information disclosed under that subsection may be used for research purposes,

(d) may accredit a person as a person to whom such information may be disclosed for the purposes of a review of the kind mentioned in section 66(3)(b), 67(3)(b), 68(3)(b) or 69(3)(b),

(e) may accredit research for the purposes of section 64, and

(f) may withdraw accreditation given under any of paragraphs (a) to (e).

(2) The Statistics Board—

(a) must establish and publish conditions to be met by a person for accreditation under subsection (1)(a), (b), (c) or (d),

(b) must establish and publish conditions to be met by research for accreditation under subsection (1)(e), and

(c) must establish and publish grounds for the withdrawal of accreditation under subsection (1)(f).

(3) The conditions established and published under subsection (2)(a) must, in the case of a person seeking accreditation to be involved in the processing of information for disclosure under section 64(1), include a condition that the person is a fit and proper person to be involved in such processing.

(4) The conditions established and published under subsection (2)(b) must include a condition that the research is in the public interest.

(5) The grounds established and published under subsection (2)(c) must, in the case of a person accredited under this section, include the ground that the person has failed to have regard to the code of practice under section 70.

(6) Before publishing conditions under subsection (2)(a) or (b) or grounds under subsection (2)(c), the Statistics Board must consult—

(a) the Minister for the Cabinet Office,

(b) the Information Commissioner,

(c) the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs,

(d) the Scottish Ministers,

(e) the Welsh Ministers,

(f) the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland, and

(g) such other persons as the Statistics Board thinks appropriate.

(7) The Statistics Board—

(a) may from time to time revise conditions or grounds published under this section, and

(b) if it does so, must publish the conditions or grounds as revised.

(8) Subsection (6) applies in relation to the publication of conditions or grounds under subsection (7) as it applies in relation to the publication of conditions or grounds under subsection (2).

(9) The Statistics Board must maintain and publish—

(a) a register of persons who are accredited under subsection (1)(a),

(b) a register of persons who are accredited under subsection (1)(b),

(c) a register of persons who are accredited under subsection (1)(c), and

(d) a register of persons who are accredited under subsection (1)(d).

(10) A register under any of the paragraphs of subsection (9) may be combined with a register under any of the other paragraphs of that subsection.

(11) Anything required by this section to be published must be published in such manner as the Statistics Board thinks appropriate for bringing it to the attention of persons likely to be affected by it.