Commentary on Clause 5 The measures in the Act
85.The proposed amendment is a technical change to the provisions under which an authority administering Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit can be required to provide information to DSS or to another authority.
86.Section 122D of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 enables the Secretary of State to require an authority administering Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit to supply information to him. But, if the Secretary of State wishes to impose requirements relating to the manner and form in which the information is provided he must make regulations under subsection (3). This measure will allow the Secretary of State to specify in directions, rather than regulations, the manner and form (and other requirements) in which information is to be provided.
87.Section 122E of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 provides for the exchange of information between authorities administering Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. Subsections (3) and (4) enable the Secretary of State to require information to be supplied by one authority to another. Those subsections have not yet been commenced.  However, as subsection (4) mirrors section 122D(3), it is also being amended for the sake of consistency.