Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Act, 1996

Prohibition on disclosure of confidential information.

8.—(1) A person shall not disclose confidential information obtained by him or her while performing duties as a member of the Board or the staff of the Board, or as advisor or consultant to the Board, unless he or she is duly authorised to do so.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £100,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or both.

(3) Particular information or information of a particular class or description shall be considered, for the purposes of subsection (1), to be confidential if it is stated to be confidential or the Board or an officer of the Board has directed that it be treated as confidential.

(4) In this section “duly authorised” means authorised by the Board or by a person authorised in that behalf by the Board.