The Official Secrets Act

Official Secrets Act

The Official Secrets act is a legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, related to national security in the United Kingdom so if people have an interest in sensitive information, they are not allowed and denied access.

This act does not apply to crown servants and government contractors or members of the security and intelligence services. This act allows government to search where the information in question is stored or is in possession from the person in question.

If you're not in a government contract under this act in England and Wales it is formerly classified as an arrestable offence.

Provisions of this act

There is 16 specific provisions of this act:

1) Security and Intelligence People who are in intelligence facilities are allowed to commit the following act within question

2) Defence You cannot disclose information, documents or other articles relating to defence, only applying to crown servants and government contractors.

3) International Relations You cannot disclose the information if its from another country.

4) Crime and Special Investigation Powers You cannot disclosed the information which would assist a criminal or commission of a crime.

5) Information Resulting from unauthorised disclosures or entrusted in confidence Newspapers and Journalists cannot report on the news of leaked government information.

6) Information entrusted in confidecnce to other states or to internation organisation Other states cannot report or tell about the government information of another state.

7) Authorised disclosure If you do need to share the information, you need someone saying you are allowed - within a set satisfactory conditions.

8) Safeguarding of Information The crown servant or government contractor are only allowed to find information relevant to their needs.

9) Restriction on prosecutions No prosecution for an offence, stops government contractor and crown servants from being prosecuted.

10) Penalties Provides penalties and mode of trial for offences under the Act.

11) Arrest, Search and Trial Police are allowed to arrest if need be.

12) Definition of Crown Servant and government contractor Defines the expression for both crown servant and government contractor

13) Other Interpretation provisions defines the expressions "disclose", "disclosure", "international organisation", "prescribed" and "state"

14) Provides procedure for making orders under the act.

15) Acts done abroad and extent For as long as people are a british citizen, this act will always apply to them, regardless of where they are.

16)Citation, Commencement, Amendments, Repeals and Revocation Authorises the acts Citation, Commencement, Amendments, Repeals and Revocation.