Office of Public Sector Information
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The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the new body incorporating Her Majesty's Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO). Like its predecessor, OPSI is part of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom and it is responsible for Crown Copyright. The Controller of OPSI also holds the offices of Queen's Printer and Queen's Printer for Scotland. OPSI publishes the London Gazette, Edinburgh Gazette, Belfast Gazette and all legislation in the United Kingdom, including Acts of Parliament, Act of the Scottish Parliament and Statutory Instruments. Prior to 1996, when it was privatised, it was the publisher of virtually all government material, such as Command Papers, legislation and official histories.
HMSO was established as a new department of HM Treasury on 5 April 1786, when John Mayor was appointed as its first "Superintendant". From 1822, all government departments were required to to buy stationery through the open competitions and tenders operated by HMSO. HMSO also took over as official publisher of Hansard in 1822. In 1889, HMSO was granted Letters Patent under which it was appointed as Queen's Printer ("printer to Her Majesty of all Acts of Parliament") and the Controller of HMSO was appointed to hold Crown copyright. HMSO also took over publication of the London Gazette in 1889.
Most of its publishing functions were privatised in 1996 as a separate privatised company is known as The Stationery Office, but HMSO continued as a separate part of the Cabinet Office, remained Queen's Printer, and retained its role of administering Crown copyright. As part of the implementation of the EU Directive on the re-use of public sector information, HMSO was renamed as the OPSI on 16 May 2005.
External link
- http://www.opsi.gov.uk/
- New Office of Public Sector Information (http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/947) (eGov Monitor, 16 May 2005)