Official Secrets Act 1989

Official Secrets Act 1989[1]
Long titleAn Act to replace section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 by provisions protecting more limited classes of official information.
Citation1989 c. 6
Dates
Royal assent11 May 1989
Commencement1 March 1990[2]
Other legislation
AmendsOfficial Secrets Act 1911
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Official Secrets Act 1989 (c. 6) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, thereby removing the public interest defence created by that section.

Lord Bingham of Cornhill said that the white paper "Reform of Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911" (Cm. 408) (June 1988) was the immediate precursor of this Act and that its recommendations bear directly on the interpretation of this Act.[3]

  1. ^ This short title was given to this Act by section 16(1) of this Act.
  2. ^ The Official Secrets Act 1989 (Commencement) Order 1990 (S.I. 1990/199), article 2
  3. ^ R v. Shayler [2002] UKHL 11 at [11], [2002] All ER 477 at 485