Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924
Authentication of official documents.
15.—(1) The seal of each Minister who is a head of a Department of State established under this Act shall, when affixed to any instrument or document, be authenticated by the signature of such Minister, or of some person authorised by that Minister to act in that behalf.
(2) Every document purporting to be an order or other instrument issued by a Minister who is the head of a Department of State established by this Act, and to be sealed with the seal of such Minister authenticated in manner aforesaid, or to be signed by such Minister, shall be received in evidence and be deemed to be such order or instrument without further proof, unless the contrary is shown.
(3) A certificate signed by a Minister that any order or other instrument purporting to be made or issued by such Minister, or by the Department of State for the time being assigned to him, or by any branch or officer thereof, is so made or issued, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact so certified.
(4) Nothing in this Act shall render the affixing of the official seal of a Minister who is the head of a Department of State established by this Act to any order or other instrument (not being a deed, conveyance or other instrument which if made by a person other than a corporation would be required by law to be sealed with the seal of such person) made by such Minister necessary to the validity of such order or other instrument, and any such order or other instrument, unless expressly required by any statute to be under seal, shall be sufficiently authenticated by the signature of such Minister or of the secretary or other officer of such Department of State duly authorised by such Minister to authenticate such orders and instruments.
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C30
Reference construed (1.01.1955) by Defence Act 1954 (18/1954), s. 304(1), S.I. No. 233 of 1954.
304.—(1) For the purposes of subsection (4) of section 15 of the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924 (No. 16 of 1924), as amended by subsection (2) of section 7 of the Documentary Evidence Act, 1925 (No. 24 of 1925), an officer, serving in any of the principal military branches of the Department of Defence, shall, in respect of any order or other instrument made by the Minister under or by virtue of this Act, be deemed to be an officer of the Department of Defence.
...
C31
Application of subss. (1), (4) extended (2.06.1924, deemed) by Documentary Evidence Act 1925 (24/1925), s. 7, commenced as per ss. 7(3).
Authentication of official documents under Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924.
7.—(1) A Minister who is head of a Department of State established under the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924 (No. 16 of 1924) may at any time or times authorise more than one person to authenticate by his signature the seal of such Minister, and where more than one person is so authorised by any such Minister the seal of such Minister shall be sufficiently authenticated for the purposes of sub-section (1) of section 15 of the said Act if it is authenticated by the signature of one of the persons who are for the time being so authorised.
(2) Any such Minister as aforesaid may at any time or times authorise more than one officer of his Department of State to authenticate orders and instruments under sub-section (4) of section 15 of the Act aforesaid, and where more than one such officer is so authorised any order or instrument which can under that sub-section be authenticated by the signature of such Minister shall be sufficiently authenticated by the signature of any one of the officers who are for the time being so authorised.
(3) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the commencement of the said Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924.