http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/6/section/7Official Secrets Act 1989An Act to replace section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 by provisions protecting more limited classes of official information.1989-05-11texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2024-05-17Expert Participation2023-12-20 71For the purposes of this Act a disclosure by—aa Crown servant; orba person, not being a Crown servant or government contractor, in whose case a notification for the purposes of section 1(1) above is in force,is made with lawful authority if, and only if, it is made in accordance with his official duty.2For the purposes of this Act a disclosure by a government contractor is made with lawful authority if, and only if, it is made—ain accordance with an official authorisation; orbfor the purposes of the functions by virtue of which he is a government contractor and without contravening an official restriction.3For the purposes of this Act a disclosure made by any other person is made with lawful authority if, and only if, it is made—ato a Crown servant for the purposes of his functions as such; orbin accordance with an official authorisation.4It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under any of the foregoing provisions of this Act to prove that at the time of the alleged offence he believed that he had lawful authority to make the disclosure in question and had no reasonable cause to believe otherwise.5In this section “official authorisation” and “official restriction” mean, subject to subsection (6) below, an authorisation or restriction duly given or imposed by a Crown servant or government contractor or by or on behalf of a prescribed body or a body of a prescribed class.6In relation to section 6 above “official authorisation” includes an authorisation duly given by or on behalf of the State or organisation concerned or, in the case of an organisation, a member of it.S. 7(5): transfer of certain functions (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1750, arts. 1(2),2, Sch. 1 (with art. 7); S.I. 1998/3178, art. 2(1)