Post Office Act 1953

12 Registration of newspapers at Post Office

(1) The proprietor or printer of any publication such as is specified in the next following section may register it in a register of newspapers kept for that purpose at the General Post Office in London in such form and with such particulars as the Postmaster-General may direct:

Provided that the Postmaster-General may refuse to permit the registration under this section of any publication printed and published outside the British postal area unless arrangements have been made to his satisfaction for maintaining a responsible representative of the publication in the United Kingdom.

(2) Any such registration shall be in respect of a period of twelve months commencing on such date in each year as the Postmaster-General may direct, and there shall be payable on each registration such fee not exceeding five shillings as may be prescribed by Post Office regulations.

(3) A publication for the time being on the said register—

(a) shall be a registered newspaper within the meaning of this Act and of any warrant made thereunder ; and

(b) shall be a newspaper within the meaning of any arrangement with the government or postal administration of any other country for securing advantages for newspapers sent by post.

(4) The Postmaster-General may from time to time revise the register kept under this section and remove therefrom any publication not registrable by virtue of the next following section.

(5) The decision of the Postmaster-General on the admission to or removal from the said register of a publication shall be final.