Administration of Justice Act 1925

26 Provision for facilitating production of documents filed in or in custody of central office

(1) Rules may be made under this section for providing that, in any case where a document filed in or in the custody of any department of the central office of the Supreme Court is required to be produced to any court or tribunal (including an umpire or arbitrator) sitting elsewhere than at the Royal Courts of Justice, it shall not be necessary for an officer of the department, whether served with a subpoena in that behalf or not, to attend for the purpose of producing the document, and that the document may be produced to the court or tribunal by sending it by registered post, together with a certificate in the form prescribed by the rules to the effect that the document has been filed in, or is in the custody of, the department, to such judge or officer of the court as may be so prescribed, and any such certificate shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.

(2) Rules made under this section may contain provisions for securing the safe custody and return to the proper department of the central office of any document sent to a court or tribunal in pursuance of the rules, and such other provisions as appear to the rule-making authority necessary or expedient for carrying this section into effect.

(3) Rules for the purposes of this section may be made by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice and the Senior Master of the Supreme Court (King's Bench Division), and all such rules shall be laid before Parliament.