Education Act 1944

3 Seal and acts of Minister.

(1) The Minister shall have an official seal which shall be authenticated by the signature of the Minister or of a secretary to the Ministry of Education or of any person authorised by the Minister to authenticate the seal.

(2) The seal of the Minister shall be officially and judicially noticed, and every document purporting to be an instrument made or issued by the Minister and either to be sealed with the seal of the Minister authenticated in the manner provided by this section, or to be signed by a secretary to the Ministry of Education or by any other officer of the Ministry authorised to sign it, shall in any legal proceedings be deemed to be so made or issued without further proof, unless the contrary is shown.

(3) A certificate signed by the Minister certifying that any instrument purporting to be made or issued by him was so made or issued shall be conclusive evidence of the fact certified.

(4) The [31 & 32 Vict. c. 37.] Documentary Evidence Act, 1868, shall have effect as if there were included in the first column of the Schedule to that Act the words " the Minister of Education ", and as if there were included in the second column of the said Schedule the words " the Minister of Education, any secretary to the Ministry of Education, or any person authorised by the Minister of Education to issue a certificate for the purposes of subsection (3) of section two of this Act ", and as if the regulations referred to in that Act included any document made or issued by the Minister.