Part 5: Digital Government Chapter 3: Debt owed to the public sector Section 50: Confidentiality of personal information
This section is intended to ensure that personal information received under this power is only onwardly disclosed in narrowly defined circumstances. Subsection (1) provides that a person (P) receiving personal information under the power at section 48, or any other person who receives that information either directly or indirectly from P, cannot further disclose that information. The limited circumstances when such information can be further disclosed without committing an offence under this section are set out in subsection (2). Any person who knowingly or recklessly contravenes this prohibition on further disclosure is guilty of an offence under subsection (4), carrying a penalty on indictment of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. Other restrictions on disclosure of information – including other criminal offences regarding the unauthorised disclosure of information – may still also apply.
	This section does not apply to personal information disclosed by the Revenue and Customs under section 48. Specific conditions that relate to information disclosed by the Revenue and Customs are set out in section 51.