Commentary on Sections and Schedules Part 1: the Statistics Board Section 38 Use of information by the Board
152.This section allows the Board to use any information it holds, including census information previously held by the Registrar General, to carry out any of its functions. This section will permit the Board to produce statistics for one purpose using information collected for another purpose, for example allowing an analysis of deprivation to be carried out using information collected as part of the census. This may also reduce the burden on information providers, for example individuals or businesses filling in surveys, by removing the need to collect duplicate information.
153.Subsection (1) states that any information obtained by the Board in connection with any function exercised by the Board may be used by it in connection with any of its other functions.
154.Subsection (2) restricts the Board’s use of information in that, while the Board will have access to information about National Statistics for assessment purposes, it will not be able to use this information for other functions, such as the production of statistics.
155.Subsection (3) specifies that information received by the Board as a part of its function of providing statistical services (under section 22) may only be used for the purpose of providing those services, unless the Board has the consent of the person who provided the information to the Board to use it in another way.
156.Subsection (4) states that the Board may not use information where other legislation places limits on how that information can be used or disclosed. For example, section 58 (2) of the Finance Act 1969, restricts the Board’s use of ‘pay as you earn’ (PAYE) information for the purposes of statistical survey; this section would not override that restriction on use.