Section 70 - Disclosure prejudicial to safety of State or contrary to public interest
259.Section 70(1) provides that a Minister of the Crown may give notice to the Ombudsman that disclosure of any document or information or class of document or information specified in the notice would, in the opinion of the Minister, be prejudicial to the safety of the United Kingdom or otherwise contrary to the public interest. Where such a notice is given, this Act neither authorises nor requires the Ombudsman, a member of the Ombudsman’s staff or any other person assisting or acting on the Ombudsman’s behalf, to disclose such specified information.
260.Where the Ombudsman or a member of the Ombudsman’s staff etc. is obliged by virtue of some other legal requirement to disclose the information then nothing in this section prevents that person from complying with that obligation.