(1)A statement contained in a document purporting to be—
(a)a part of the records maintained by the Secretary of State in connection with any functions exercisable by the Secretary of State by virtue of this Act; or
(b)a copy of a document forming part of those records; or
(c)a note of any information contained in those records,
and to be authenticated by a person authorised in that behalf by the Secretary of State shall be admissible in any proceedings as evidence of any fact stated therein to the same extent as oral evidence of that fact is admissible in those proceedings.
(2)In subsection (1) above “document” and “statement” have the same meanings as in subsection (1) of section 10 of the M1Civil Evidence Act 1968, and the reference to a copy of a document shall be construed in accordance with subsection (2) of that section; but nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting to civil proceedings the references to proceedings in subsection (1) above.
(3)Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall enable evidence to be given with respect to any matter other than a matter of the prescribed description.
(4)In its application to Scotland this section shall have effect as if—
(a)in subsection (1), for the words from “as evidence” onwards there were substituted the words “as sufficient evidence of any fact stated therein, so however that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to make such a statement evidence in any proceedings except where oral evidence to the like effect would have been admissible in those proceedings”; and
(b)in subsection (2), for the references to subsections (1) and (2) of section 10 of the M2Civil Evidence Act 1968 there were substituted references to subsections (3) and (4) respectively of section 17 of the M3Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1968.