Section 37I – The King’s Printer for Wales
72.The history of publishing legislation in Britain and subsequently the United Kingdom reaches back into the 18th century. His Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) was founded in 1786. It is the holder of Crown copyright and has been the official printer and publisher of all Acts of Parliament since 1889. Between 2003 and 2006, HMSO was one of four government bodies that came together to form The National Archives, the official government archive for Wales, England and the United Kingdom.
73.Publishing all UK legislation today is a core part of the remit of the Keeper of Public Records (in his capacity as the King’s Printer of Acts of Parliament and Government Printer of Northern Ireland) and the King’s Printer for Scotland. The Keeper is also the Controller of HMSO and the Chief Executive of The National Archives. The existing legislation is silent on the King’s Printer’s role in the publishing of Welsh legislation, but in practice this is also undertaken by and on behalf of the King’s Printer.
74.The original (as enacted) and revised versions of legislation on the legislation.gov.uk website are published by and under the authority of the Controller of HMSO. The website is managed by The National Archives who are also responsible for The Gazette, the UK’s official public record. The Gazette is managed by The Stationery Office, under the superintendence of The National Archives.
75.Part 2B makes provision to formalise the process for publishing Welsh legislation by conferring functions on a King’s Printer for Wales. The functions of the King’s Printer for Wales to publish Acts of Senedd Cymru, Welsh statutory instruments and related documents are to be exercised by the King’s Printer of Acts of Parliament.
Preservation and publication of Acts of Senedd Cymru
76.The Assembly (now Senedd) Act provisions in Part 4 of the 2006 Act were commenced on 5 May 2011 by the Government of Wales Act 2006 (Commencement of Assembly Act Provisions, Transitional and Saving Provisions and Modifications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1011 (W. 250) (C. 42)). That Order also amended section 115 of the 2006 Act to make provision for the preservation of the Letters Patent and Acts, certified copies of official prints of Acts and numbering of Acts. The provisions about Acts of the Senedd that were inserted by the Order are now restated in the 2019 Act as sections 37J to 37M (and paragraph 5 of Schedule 3 to the Act repeals those provisions from section 115 of the 2006 Act).
