Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 271

Definition of information

Section 271 defines the term "information" as used in sections 266 to 270 and confirms that these data-sharing provisions apply regardless of when the information was collected.

• "Information" means any personal data, or any information extracted from that personal data, as the term is used in sections 266 to 270.
• The data-sharing rules in sections 266 to 271 cover information used for the purposes of data exchange relating to education (s 266), sharing of PPSNs (s 267), HSE health provisions (s 268), and rented accommodation (s 269).
• These provisions apply to information whether it was collected before or after 31 July 2000.
• The effect is that pre-existing personal data holdings are not excluded from the data-sharing framework simply because they were gathered before the legislation took effect.