313.This section amends section 23 of the CAA 1982 by inserting new subsections (4A), (4B) and (7). The amendments allow the CAA to disclose anonymised medical information relating to flight crew and air traffic controllers that the CAA receives in pursuance of a provision of an Air Navigation Order. In addition to the anonymisation safeguard, this section also provides that:
the disclosure must be for the purposes of medical research approved by a research ethics committee (as defined in new subsection (7));
the CAA must consider that the research is likely to improve the understanding of health risks to the types of individual who are required to provide medical information to the CAA under an Air Navigation Order; and
the CAA must consider that it would be difficult or expensive to take the steps necessary to enable disclosure in reliance on section 23(1) of all of the information which is to be disclosed. One of the steps which would enable information to be disclosed in reliance on section 23(1) is obtaining the written consent to disclosure of each person to whom the information relates.