258Information sharing agreements

258 Information sharing agreements

(1) For the purposes specified in subsection (2), the Health Secretary may enter into an information sharing agreement with a public sector body on behalf of—

(a) the chief psychiatrist; or

(b) the Chief Officer; or

(c) a regional mental health and wellbeing board.

(2) The Health Secretary may enter into an information sharing agreement for any of the following purposes—

(a) to enable a public sector body to perform its functions efficiently and effectively;

(b) to ensure that public sector bodies understand what is expected of them;

(c) to ensure that information shared by persons and bodies governed under this Act is done consistently and is done in a manner that avoids duplication.

(3) An information sharing agreement under this section may provide for any of the following—

(a) that the parties to the agreement agree that the sharing of certain information is in accordance with this Act;

(b) the types of information that the parties to the agreement should not share as it would not comply with this Act or it would not be reasonable in the circumstances to share between the parties;

(c) the method of delivery for the information to be shared by the parties to the agreement and the format of the information.

(4) An information sharing agreement under this section must comply with the information sharing principles.

(5) Subject to Part 17.1, if an information sharing agreement is entered into under this section, the parties to the agreement must provide and share information in accordance with that agreement.