Office of Public Sector Information
Section 14(4).
1 (1) This paragraph applies where the Secretary of State or the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland requires information for the purpose of tracing—
(a) the current address of an absent parent; or
(b) the current employer of an absent parent.
(2) In such a case, no obligation as to secrecy imposed by statute or otherwise on a person employed in relation to the Inland Revenue shall prevent any information obtained or held in connection with the assessment or collection of income tax from being disclosed to —
(a) the Secretary of State;
(b) the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland; or
(c) an officer of either of them authorised to receive such information in connection with the operation of this Act or of any corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.
(3) This paragraph extends only to disclosure by or under the authority of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue.
(4) Information which is the subject of disclosure to any person by virtue of this paragraph shall not be further disclosed to any person except where the further disclosure is made—
(a) to a person to whom disclosure could be made by virtue of sub-paragraph (2); or
(b) for the purposes of any proceedings (civil or criminal) in connection with the operation of this Act or of any corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.
2 (1) This paragraph applies where—
(a) the Secretary of State requires relevant information in connection with the discharge by him, or by any child support officer, of functions under this Act; or
(b) the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland requires relevant information in connection with the discharge of any functions under any corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.
(2) The Secretary of State may give a direction to the appropriate authority requiring them to give him such relevant information in connection with any housing benefit or community charge benefit to which an absent parent or person with care is entitled as the Secretary of State considers necessary in connection with his determination of—
(a) that person’s income of any kind;
(b) the amount of housing costs to be taken into account in determining that person’s income of any kind; or
(c) the amount of that person’s protected income.
(3) The Secretary of State may give a similar direction for the purposes of enabling the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland to obtain such information for the purposes of any corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.
(4) In this paragraph—
“appropriate authority” means—
(a) in relation to housing benefit, the housing or local authority concerned; and
(b) in relation to community charge benefit, the charging authority or, in Scotland, the levying authority; and
“relevant information” means information of such a description as may be prescribed.
Section 21(4).
1 (1) The person appointed under Schedule 10 to the [1975 c. 14.] Social Security Act 1975 as President of the social security appeal tribunals, medical appeal tribunals and disability appeal tribunals shall, by virtue of that appointment, also be President of the child support appeal tribunals.
(2) It shall be the duty of the President to arrange such meetings of the chairmen and members of child support appeal tribunals, and such training for them, as he considers appropriate.
(3) The President may, with the consent of the Secretary of State as to numbers, remuneration and other terms and conditions of service, appoint such officers and staff as he thinks fit for the child support appeal tribunals and their full-time chairmen.
2 (1) A child support appeal tribunal shall consist of a chairman and two other persons.
(2) The chairman and the other members of the tribunal must not all be of the same sex.
(3) Sub-paragraph (2) shall not apply to any proceedings before a child support appeal tribunal if the chairman of the tribunal rules that it is not reasonably practicable to comply with that sub-paragraph in those proceedings.
3 (1) The chairman of a child support appeal tribunal shall be nominated by the President.
(2) The President may nominate himself or a person drawn—
(a) from the appropriate panel appointed by the Lord Chancellor, or (as the case may be) the Lord President of the Court of Session, under section 7 of the [1971 c. 62.] Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1971;
(b) from among those appointed under paragraph 4; or
(c) from among those appointed under paragraph 1A of Schedule 10 to the [1975 c. 14.] Social Security Act 1975 to act as full-time chairmen of social security appeal tribunals.
(3) Subject to any regulations made by the Lord Chancellor, no person shall be nominated as a chairman of a child support appeal tribunal by virtue of sub-paragraph (2)(a) unless he has a 5 year general qualification or is an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of 5 years' standing.
4 (1) The Lord Chancellor may appoint regional and other full-time chairmen for child support appeal tribunals.
(2) A person is qualified to be appointed as a full-time chairman if he has a 7 year general qualification or is an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of 7 years' standing.
(3) A person appointed to act as a full-time chairman shall hold and vacate office in accordance with the terms of his appointment, except that he must vacate his office at the end of the completed year of service in which he reaches the age of 72 unless his appointment is continued under sub-paragraph (4).
(4) Where the Lord Chancellor considers it desirable in the public interest to retain a full-time chairman in office after the end of the completed year of service in which he reaches the age of 72, he may from time to time authorise the continuance of that person in office until any date not later than that on which that person reaches the age of 75.
(5) A person appointed as a full-time chairman may be removed from office by the Lord Chancellor, on the ground of misbehaviour or incapacity.
(6) Section 75 of the [1990 c. 41.] Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (judges etc. barred from legal practice) shall apply to any person appointed as a full-time chairman under this Schedule as it applies to any person holding as a full-time appointment any of the offices listed in Schedule 11 to that Act.
(7) The Secretary of State may pay, or make such payments towards the provision of, such remuneration, pensions, allowances or gratuities to or in respect of persons appointed as full-time chairmen under this paragraph as, with the consent of the Treasury, he may determine.
5 (1) The members of a child support appeal tribunal other than the chairman shall be drawn from the appropriate panel constituted under this paragraph.
(2) The panels shall be constituted by the President for the whole of Great Britain, and shall—
(a) act for such areas; and
(b) be composed of such persons,
as the President thinks fit.
(3) The panel for an area shall be composed of persons appearing to the President to have knowledge or experience of conditions in the area and to be representative of persons living or working in the area.
(4) Before appointing members of a panel, the President shall take into consideration any recommendations from such organisations or persons as he considers appropriate.
(5) The members of the panels shall hold office for such period as the President may direct.
(6) The President may at any time terminate the appointment of any member of a panel.
6 (1) Each child support appeal tribunal shall be serviced by a clerk appointed by the President.
(2) The duty of summoning members of a panel to serve on a child support appeal tribunal shall be performed by the clerk to the tribunal.
7 (1) The Secretary of State may pay—
(a) to any member of a child support appeal tribunal, such remuneration and travelling and other allowances as the Secretary of State may determine with the consent of the Treasury;
(b) to any person required to attend at any proceedings before a child support appeal tribunal, such travelling and other allowances as may be so determined; and
(c) such other expenses in connection with the work of any child support appeal tribunal as may be so determined.
(2) In sub-paragraph (1), references to travelling and other allowances include references to compensation for loss of remunerative time.
(3) No compensation for loss of remunerative time shall be paid to any person under this paragraph in respect of any time during which he is in receipt of other remuneration so paid.
8 Before exercising any of his powers under paragraph 3(3) or 4(1), (4) or (5), the Lord Chancellor shall consult the Lord Advocate.
Child Support Act 1991