(e) where subsection (2A) applies, the purposes of a welfare fund review. (2A) This subsection applies if— (a) the matter in respect of which the complaint or request has been made relates to an exercise of a function by a local authority on an application to receive assistance in pursuance of section 2 of the 2015 Act, and (b) the welfare fund review relates to the decision made by the authority on that application. (2B) Information obtained by the Ombudsman or any of the Ombudsman's advisers in connection with a welfare fund review must not be disclosed 7 except for any of the purposes specified in subsection (2C) or as permitted by subsection (3). (2C) Those purposes are— (a) the purposes of the review, (b) the purposes of any proceedings for— (i) an offence under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 alleged to have been committed in respect of information obtained by the Ombudsman, (ii) an offence of perjury alleged to have been committed in the course of the review, (c) the purposes of an inquiry with a view to the taking of any of the proceedings mentioned in paragraph (b), (d) where subsection (2D) applies, the purposes of any consideration of a complaint or request in respect of a matter, or the investigation of the matter. (2D) This subsection applies if— (a) the matter in respect of which the complaint or request has been made relates to an exercise of a function by a local authority on an application to receive assistance in pursuance of section 2 of the 2015 Act, and (b) the welfare fund review relates to the decision made by the authority on that application. (3) Where information referred to in subsection (1) is to the effect that any person is likely to constitute a threat to the health or safety of individuals (in particular or in general)], the Ombudsman may disclose the information to any person to whom the Ombudsman thinks it should be disclosed in the interests of the health or safety of the particular individuals or, as the case may be, individuals in general. (4) In relation to information disclosed under subsection (3), the Ombudsman must— (a) where the Ombudsman knows the identity of the person to whom the information relates, inform that person of the disclosure of the information and of the identity of the person to whom it has been disclosed, and (b) inform the person from whom the information was obtained of the disclosure. 8 (4A) The duty under subsection (4)(a) to inform a person about the identity of a person to whom information has been disclosed does not apply where informing the former person is likely to constitute a threat to the health or safety of the latter person. [...] (8) Information obtained from— (a) the Information Commissioner by virtue of section 76 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c.36); or (b) the Scottish Information Commissioner by virtue of section 63 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13), is to be treated for the purposes of subsection (1) as obtained in connection with any matter in respect of which a complaint or request has been made. (9) In relation to such information, subsection (2)(a) has effect as if— (a) the reference in sub-paragraph (i) to the complaint or request were a reference to any complaint or request, and (b) the reference in sub-paragraph (ii) to the matter were a reference to any matter. 20 Disclosure of information by the Ombudsman (1) This section applies to any information (referred to in this section as “relevant information”) obtained by, or supplied to, the Ombudsman or any of the Ombudsman’s advisers under or for the purposes of this Act or the 2015 Act . (2) The Ombudsman may disclose relevant information to a person or body specified in the first column of schedule 5 if the information appears to the Ombudsman to relate to any matter specified in relation to that person or body in the second column of that schedule. (3) Nothing in section 19(1) applies in relation to the disclosure of information in accordance with this section. 9
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