5APublic interest disclosure functions of Ombudsman

#### 5A Public interest disclosure functions of Ombudsman (1) If: (a) a disclosure of information has been, or is required to be, allocated under section 43 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013; and (b) some or all of the disclosable conduct with which the information is concerned relates (within the meaning of that Act) to an agency (within the meaning of that Act); and (c) the agency is neither an intelligence agency (within the meaning of that Act) nor the Inspector‑General of Intelligence and Security; to the extent that the conduct so relates, it is taken, for the purposes of this Act, to be action that relates to a matter of administration. (2) For the purposes of the application of this Act to the action: (a) the agency is taken to be a prescribed authority; and (b) the action is to be treated as if it were action taken by the prescribed authority; and (c) a public official who belongs (within the meaning of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013) to the agency is taken to be an officer of the prescribed authority; and (d) the person who disclosed the information is taken, if the disclosure is allocated to the Ombudsman, to have made a complaint to the Ombudsman in respect of the action. (3) It is immaterial whether the disclosable conduct occurred before or after the commencement of this section.