What is the Official Secrets Act Ireland?
The Official Secrets Act 1963 makes it a criminal offence for persons who hold public office to disclose secret official information, with the definitions as to who the law applies to, and what information the law applies to, being contained in the act.
How long does the Official Secrets Act last for?
Does it expire, is it indefinite? Answer: There is no limit on the Official Secrets act. If you want to go public with something – for example write a book – you need to get permission from the Attorney General.
When was the Official Secrets Act created?
1923
Short title, extent and application. —(1) This Act may be called the Official Secrets Act, 1923. (2) It extends to the whole of India and applies also to servants of the Government and to citizens of India outside India.]
What is the punishment for breaking the Official Secrets Act?
The penalty for breaching the Official Secrets Act is a maximum jail term of 14 years if the crime relates to spying or sabotage under the 1911 or 1920 acts. For other breaches of the 1989 act the maximum jail term is two years. Prosecutions for breaches are extremely rare with fewer than one a year going to court.
What categories of information do you think are classed as official secrets?
These are:
- Security and intelligence.
- Defence.
- International Relations.
- Information which might lead to the commission of crime.
- Foreign confidences.
- The special investigation powers under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 and the Security Services Act 1989.
What was the Official Secrets Act 1904?
Traced back to the British Colonial rule in India, the Indian Official Secrets Act (Act XIV) of 1889 which later became the Indian Official Secrets Act, 1904 with more stringent and unbending laws was enacted during a period when the Indian Press had fearlessly taken over to reveal the reality and dark side of the …
Does RTI override OSA?
RTI is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India. Thus, the citizens of the country have the right to have information regarding the operations of the government. Further, it is also clear that provisions of the RTI override the OSA.
Does the Official Secrets Act still exist?
In 2001, the Official Act was repealed and replaced by the Security of Information Act.
Why was Simon Finch indicted under Official Secrets Act?
‘Significant harm’ He was arrested at his Swansea home in March 2019 on suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act.
What publication prompted an update of the Official Secrets Act of 1989?
Lord Bingham 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.
Why was the Irish government censored for 30 years?
Documents censored by the Irish government for 30 years and now released to the public reveal a tumultuous island mired in a decades-long struggle with the UK. The “30-year rule” allows the government to withhold information from its citizens and will soon be reduced to 20 years, in line with the UK’s recent change in its law.
Who is responsible for the national security of Ireland?
The organisation has responsibility for the safety and security of the Irish Defence Forces, its personnel, and supporting the national security of Ireland.
When was the secret meeting between Northern Ireland and the UK?
William Whitelaw MP, the governing Conservative Party’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, rejects the offer. However go-betweens push for formal meeting between the opposing sides. 1972, June 20: Secret meeting takes place in Derry between representatives of the Irish Republican Army and the United Kingdom.
Is the Oireachtas the only Parliament in Ireland?
We ordain that the elected Representatives of the Irish people alone have power to make laws binding on the people of Ireland, and that the Irish Parliament is the only Parliament to which that people will give its allegiance
