No. 34/1946:

STATISTICS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1946

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Interpretation.

2 Disclosure of statistical information to authorised persons.

3 Short title and collective citation.

AN ACT TO AMEND THE STATISTICS ACT, 1926 .

[17th December, 1946.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

1.—In this Act—

the expression "the Principal Act" means the Statistics Act, 1926 (No. 12 of 1926);

the expression "State authority" means any authority being—

( a ) a Minister of State,

( b ) the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland,

( c ) the Land Commission.

2.—(1) In this section the expression "statistical information" comprises—

( a ) the contents or any part of the contents of any individual schedule, form or other document filled in or otherwise completed by any person in pursuance of a requisition made under the Principal Act;

( b ) the contents or any part of the contents of any record or document (not being a record or document open to public inspection) which was inspected or of which a copy was taken or obtained by an officer of statistics in exercise of any power in that behalf conferred on him by the Principal Act; and

( c ) any verbal information or answer given relating to any individual person, business or concern.

(2) Where the Minister for Industry and Commerce is satisfied that it is necessary for the proper discharge of the functions of a State authority or a committee, commission or tribunal of inquiry set up by the Government or by a State authority so to do, he may authorise the disclosure, to specified persons, being officers of that State authority, or members or officers of that committee, commission or tribunal of inquiry, as the case may be, of specified statistical information, and thereupon the following provisions shall have effect:—

( a ) such statistical information shall at the request of any such specified person be, notwithstanding anything in section 13 of the Principal Act, disclosed to him;

( b ) section 14 of the Principal Act shall not apply to such disclosure;

( c ) if any person, to whom such statistical information has been disclosed in pursuance of this section, publishes or discloses to any other person, not being also a specified person, such statistical information or any part thereof, such person shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or, at the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

3.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Statistics (Amendment) Act, 1946 .

(2) The Principal Act and this Act may be cited together as the Statistics Acts, 1926 and 1946,