Commentary on Sections Preserved rights Section 51: Preserved rights: disclosure of information
255.This section is concerned with identifying and locating people with preserved rights by using records held by the Department of Social Security.
256.Section 51 allows the disclosure of relevant information held by the Secretary of State for Social Security about preserved rights recipients to local authorities or to any person providing services to, or authorised to exercise functions of, such authorities. Subsection (1) specifies the persons this section applies to. Subsections (2) to (4) specify the type of information which may be supplied and for what purposes it may be used or disclosed. Subsection (5) provides that the restrictions imposed on the Secretary of State for Social Security relating to the unauthorised disclosure of information held by him (see section 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) will apply to local authorities who receive information under this section as well as to the authorities’ officers and employees .