{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1998/section-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1998/section-3.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1998/14",
  "legislation_title": "Social Security Act 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1998",
  "path": "section/3",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Use of information",
  "text": "(1) Subsection (2) below applies to information relating to any of the matters specified in subsection (1A) below which is held—\n(a) by the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department; or\n(b) by a person providing services to the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department in connection with the provision of those services.\n(1A) The matters are—\n(a) social security ... or war pensions;\n(aa) child support ... ;\n(b) employment or training;\n(c) private pensions policy;\n(d) retirement planning;\n(e) the investigation or prosecution of offences relating to tax credits;\n(f) the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme.\n(2) Information to which this subsection applies—\n(a) may be used for the purposes of, or for any purposes connected with, the exercise of functions in relation to any of the matters specified in subsection (1A) above; and\n(b) may be supplied to, or to a person providing services to, the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department for use for those purposes.\n(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(4) In this section “the Northern Ireland Department” means the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland or the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland.\n(5) In this section—\n“private pensions policy” means policy relating to—\n(a) occupational pension schemes or personal pension schemes (within the meaning given by section 1 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993); or\n(b)occupational pension schemes or private pension schemes within the meaning of Part 1 of the Pensions Act 2008, if they do not fall within paragraph (a);\n“retirement planning” means promoting financial planning for retirement.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1) substituted (18.11.2004) by Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35), s. 322(2)(a), Sch. 10 para. 1(2) (with s. 313)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 3(1A) inserted (18.11.2004) by Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35), s. 322(2)(a), Sch. 10 para. 1(3) (with s. 313)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1A)(a) omitted (6.4.2010) by virtue of Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (c. 6), s. 62(3), Sch. 7 para. 3(2)(a); S.I. 2010/697, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 3(1A)(aa) inserted (6.4.2010) by Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (c. 6), s. 62(3), Sch. 7 para. 3(2)(b); S.I. 2010/697, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1A)(aa) omitted (1.8.2012) by virtue of The Public Bodies (Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Abolition and Transfer of Functions) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2007), art. 1(2), Sch. para. 64(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 3(1A)(e) inserted (8.5.2012) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), ss. 127(10), 150(2)(f)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "S. 3(1A)(f) inserted (31.3.2014) by Mesothelioma Act 2014 (c. 1), s. 19(1), Sch. 1 para. 21; S.I. 2014/459, art. 3(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2)(a) substituted (18.11.2004) by Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35), s. 322(2)(a), Sch. 10 para. 1(4) (with s. 313)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 3(3) repealed (9.9.2002) by Employment Act 2002 (c. 22), s. 55(2), Sch. 8(1); S.I. 2002/2256, art. 2(c), Sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(4) inserted (9.9.2002) by Employment Act 2002 (c. 22), s. 55(2), Sch. 6 para. 1(c); S.I. 2002/2256, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "S. 3(5) inserted (18.11.2004) by Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35), s. 322(2)(a), Sch. 10 para. 1(5) (with s. 313)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "S. 3(5): in definition of “private pensions policy” words renumbered as para. (a) (26.1.2009) by Pensions Act 2008 (c. 30), ss. 63(6)(a), 149(1); S.I. 2009/82, art. 2(1)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "S. 3(5): in definition of “private pensions policy” para. (b) and word inserted (26.1.2009) by Pensions Act 2008 (c. 30), ss. 63(6)(b), 149(1); S.I. 2009/82, art. 2(1)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 3 modified (28.6.2022) by Social Security (Additional Payments) Act 2022 (c. 38), ss. 7(2), 11(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 3 modified (23.3.2023) by Social Security (Additional Payments) Act 2023 (c. 7), ss. 7(2), 12(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "S. 3(1) extended by Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5), s. 2B(9) (as inserted (11.11.1999) by Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (c. 30), ss. 57, 89(4)(a))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "S. 3(1) extended by Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), s. 2B(9) (as inserted (1.12.1999) by The Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147), arts. 1(4)(b), 54)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "S. 3(2) applied (with modifications) (N.I.) (27.11.2006) by The Healthy Start Scheme and Day Care Food Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (S.R. 2006/478), reg. 1, Sch. 5"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C6",
      "text": "S. 3(2)(a) applied (with modifications) (1.10.2004) by The Welfare Food Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1434), reg. 22(1), Sch. 6 (as amended by S.I. 2004/2311, regs. 1(2), 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 3 in force at 8.9.1998 by S.I. 1998/2209, art. 2(a), Sch. Pt. I"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/14/section/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:23:08.158022+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}