Commentary on provisions of Act Section 14: Disclosure of non-food product safety information within UK
The section establishes a gateway for the UK to share non-food product safety information received from the European Commission, or a person nominated by the European Commission, in the UK provided it is for a permitted purpose. This section will ensure that information received by the contact point in the UK Government can be disseminated to the appropriate person so that the information can be used for the protection of consumers and others.
	Subsection (1) outlines that the section applies where a "relevant authority" i.e. a Minister or the Health and Safety Executive receives non-food product safety information from the European Commission, or a person nominated by the European Commission, for the purpose of giving effect to a provision under Article TBT.9 (or an annex to Article TBT.9) or the chemicals and automotive annexes to the TBT Chapter.
	Subsection (2) provides that a Minister or the Health and Safety Executive, can disclose non-food product safety information received from the EU for a permitted purpose. There is no restriction on who the information can be shared with, provided it is for the permitted purpose. In practice, it is expected that this information will be shared with public authorities, such as market surveillance authorities and the Crown Dependencies, as part of their inclusion in the TCA.
	Subsection (3) defines a "permitted purpose". A permitted purpose is one of the following: to ensure health and safety, ensure the protection of consumers, and ensure the protection of the environment. These reflect the purposes outlined in Article TBT.9(6)of the TCA. These are broad purposes and will include health and safety in the workplace.
	Subsection (4) provides that a person who receives EU non-food product safety information, under section 14(2), may only use the information for a permitted purpose, and may not further disclose the information except with the consent of the relevant authority. These restrictions take account of provisions in Article TBT.9 that the information can only be used for certain purposes and that information must be treated confidentially.