Clause 4

Notwithstanding section 16, the Superintendent or any census officer authorised by him in writing may, on the written request of a responsible officer of any public authority specified in the Second Schedule, disclose on a confidential basis any particulars or information relating to any individual person obtained under the provisions of this Act to the public authority if —

those particulars or information could also have been obtained by the public authority under any other written law; and

in any case where the particulars or information have been obtained from a competent authority under section 12A, that competent authority consents in writing to such disclosure.(2) The Superintendent or any census officer authorised by him in writing shall not be guilty of any offence under any written law or of any breach of confidence by virtue merely of his disclosing any particulars or information in accordance with this section.(3) No person employed in or by a public authority to which any particulars or information have been disclosed under subsection (1) shall use any such particulars or information for the purpose of enforcing any obligation or liability applicable under any written law.(4) Any person employed in or by a public authority to which any particulars or information have been disclosed under subsection (1) who without the written approval of the Superintendent, or in breach of any condition of such approval, discloses any such particulars or information shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both.(5) In this section —“public authority” includes a Government department or ministry;“responsible officer”, in relation to a public authority, means an officer designated by the Minister by notification in the Gazette as a responsible officer thereof for the purposes of this section.”.