The terms “information or evidence” have their
normal, every day meanings. Information, in particular, is
potentially very wide: it may include not only items that already
exist, but also those which you ask the claimant(s) to create.
Example: You may ask for a written explanation of
the reasons for an ex-married couple still living in the marital
home: this will be
information. But if, to test the explanation that
the couple had been unable to sell the home, you asked to see any
correspondence with the estate agents, this would be
evidence.
As a general rule, evidence will consist of documents that
already exist, while information can include explanations, analyses
etc. The statute does not allow the claimant to provide copies of
evidence, so you can insist on original documents being provided,
if appropriate.
Note that evidence does not have its common legal meaning of
verbal evidence, i.e. you cannot require the claimant(s) to give
evidence as if they were in a court of law. In practice there is no
need to classify the details you require as either
“information” or “evidence”, and you should
avoid doing so.
