Disclosure Section 27: Disclosure prejudicial to the safety of the State or contrary to the public interest
84.Section 27(1) provides that a Minister of the Crown may give notice to the Ombudsman that disclosure of any document or information or class of document or information specified in the notice would, in the opinion of the Minister, be prejudicial to the safety of the State or otherwise contrary to the public interest.
85.Where such a notice is given this Act neither authorises or requires the Ombudsman, a member of his/her staff or any other person acting on his/her behalf or assisting him/her, to disclose such specified information.
86.Where the Ombudsman or a member of his/her staff etc. is obliged by virtue of some other legal requirement to disclose the information then nothing in this section prevents that person from complying with that obligation.