Post Office Act 1969

2 (1) Any agreement, and any provision in a document not being an agreement, shall, so far as may be necessary in consequence of the enactment of Part III of this Act, have effect as from the appointed day— U.K.

(a) as if references to the Crown, the Postmaster General, the Post Office or the Minister of Public Building and Works (except in cases where they fall to be adapted by head (b) or (c) below) were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to the authority established by section 6 of this Act;

(b) as if—

(i) references in general terms (however worded) to officers of the Postmaster General, to officers of the Post Office (otherwise than as defined by section 87(1) of the M1 Post Office Act 1953), to officers of the Crown or to servants of the Postmaster General, the Post Office or the Crown were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to persons employed by the authority established by section 6 of this Act;

(ii) references in general terms (however worded) to officers of the Post Office as so defined were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to persons engaged in the business of the said authority;

(iii) references in general terms (however worded) to agents of the Postmaster General, the Post Office or the Crown were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to agents of the said authority;

(iv) references (however worded) to an officer of the Postmaster General or the Post Office holding a specified office were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to the person employed by the said authority who corresponds, as nearly as may be, to the first-mentioned officer; and

(v) references (however worded) to a servant of the Postmaster General, the Post Office or the Crown serving in a specified capacity were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to the person employed by the said authority who corresponds, as nearly as may be, to the first-mentioned servant;

(c) as if references (whether express or implied and, if express, however worded) to property of the Crown or the Postmaster General or his department were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to property of the said authority and references (whether express or implied and, if express, however worded) to land or premises occupied by the Crown, the Postmaster General, his department or an officer or servant of the Crown or Postmaster General were (or, if the context so requires, included) references to land or premises occupied by the said authority;

(d) as if any reference to the making, under a government provision, of a payment to or in respect of a person in consequence of his becoming ill, being injured or dying, were a reference to the making, to or in respect of him in consequence of his becoming ill, being injured or dying, of a payment falling to be made by virtue of a condition of his service (whether binding in law or not) providing for the making, in consequence of his becoming ill, being injured or dying, of a payment to or in respect of him.

(2) Without prejudice to the foregoing sub-paragraph, any agreement to which the Crown is a party, whether in writing or not, and whether or not of such a nature that rights and liabilities thereunder could be assigned by it, shall, as from the appointed day, have effect, so far as may be necessary for, or in consequence of, the vesting by virtue of Part III of this Act of property, rights or liabilities in the Post Office, as if the Post Office had been a party thereto.

(3) Without prejudice to sub-paragraph (1) above, where, by the operation of the said Part III, a right or liability becomes a right or liability of the Post Office, it and all other persons shall have the same rights, powers and remedies (and, in particular, the same rights, powers and remedies as to taking or resisting legal proceedings or the making or resisting of applications to any authority) for ascertaining, perfecting or enforcing it as they would have had if it had at all times been the right or liability of the Post Office; and legal proceedings or applications by or against the Crown, in so far as they relate to any property, rights or liabilities vested in the Post Office by virtue of sections 16 to 20 of this Act, or to any agreement or document which has effect in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, shall not abate by reason of the Crown’s ceasing to be interested in the subject-matter thereof but may be continued by or against the Post Office to the exclusion of the Crown.

[F1 (4) With respect to instruments and documents executed or signed before the appointed day—

(a) every instrument or document purporting to be executed or signed by or on behalf of the Postmaster General shall be deemed to be so executed or signed unless the contrary is shown; and

(b) a certificate signed before the appointed day by the Postmaster General that any instrument or document purporting to be executed or signed on his behalf was so executed or signed shall be conclusive evidence of that fact.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Para. 2(4) inserted by British Telecommunications Act 1981 (c. 38), s. 89(2)

Marginal Citations

M1 1953 c. 36.