172.—(1) Save as otherwise provided by law and subject to subsection (3), a person shall not, other than with the consent of the Board, disclose confidential information obtained by him or her while performing (or as a result of having performed) functions as—

(a) a member of the Board,

(b) a member of the staff of the Board,

(c) a member of a committee of the Board,

(d) an adviser or consultant to the Board engaged under section 166.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence.

(3) Nothing in subsection (1) shall prohibit the disclosure of information by means of a report made to the Board or made by, or on behalf of, the Board to the Minister.

(4) In this section “confidential information” includes—

(a) information that is expressed by the Board or a committee of the Board, as the case may be, to be confidential either as regards particular information or as regards information of a particular class or description,

(b) proposals of a commercial nature or tenders submitted to the Board by contractors, consultants or any other person,

(c) information the disclosure of which is prohibited by virtue of section 128(4).

(5) A member of the Board or of a committee of the Board, if convicted of an offence under subsection (2) shall, on such conviction, cease to be and be disqualified from being such a member.