Part 5: Digital Government Chapter 4: Fraud against the public sector Section 56: Disclosure of information to combat fraud against the public sector
Subsection (1) creates a permissive gateway enabling specified persons, listed in Schedule 8 (specified persons for the purposes of the fraud provisions), to share information for the purposes of taking action in connection with fraud against a public authority. Subsection (2) provides a definition of "fraud against a public authority" for the purposes of this power, and explains what "taking action in connection with fraud against a public authority" is, namely preventing, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting such fraud, and bringing civil proceedings and taking administrative action as a result of that fraud.
	Subsection (5) explains that the "specified persons" permitted to make use of the power are set out in Schedule 8. Subsection (6) sets out a power for the appropriate national authority to add, remove, or modify an entry in the Schedule by regulations. Subsections (7) to (9) set out the conditions which a given body must meet before it can be added to Schedule 8. First, the body or type of body being added must be a public authority or a person providing services to a public authority. Second, that person either requires from a public authority (or person providing services to a public authority) information to improve its ability to identify or reduce fraud against it or a public authority to which it provides services, or holds information that would assist other public authorities (or person providing services to a public authority) to do so. Alternatively, the body in question must have functions of taking action in connection with fraud against a public authority, the exercise of which would be improved by it disclosing or receiving information. By subsection (10), where a specified person is a person providing services to a public authority its ability to disclose information is limited to the functions it exercises for that public authority.
	In deciding whether to make regulations under subsection (6) to amend Schedule 8, the appropriate national authority must consider the arrangements the persons in question have in place to ensure secure handling of information. In deciding whether to make regulations which remove a specified person from Schedule 8, the appropriate national authority must consider whether the person in question has had regard to the code of practice under section 60, which will set out best practice to be observed in exercising this power. Subsection (12) sets out consultation requirements in making such regulations. Subsection (14) provides a definition of a ‘public authority’ for the purposes of Chapter 4.