Evidence of acts of department7.

(1)

Every document purporting to be issued by a department and—

(a)

to be sealed with the seal of the department authenticated as provided by Article 6(2); or

(b)

to be signed by the Minister or a senior officer of the department or other officer of the department authorised by the Minister in that behalf,

shall be received in evidence and be deemed to be such a document without further proof, unless the contrary is shown.

(2)

A certificate signed by—

(a)

the Minister; or

(b)

a senior officer of a department,

that a document purporting to be issued by the department is so issued shall be conclusive evidence of the facts so certified.

(3)

The M1Documentary Evidence Act 1868, as amended by the M2Documentary Evidence Act 1882, shall apply to a department as if—

(a)

the department were mentioned in the first column of the Schedule to the Act of 1868 and the Minister or a senior officer of the department were mentioned in the second column of that Schedule;

(b)

the regulations referred to in those Acts included any document issued by the department.