Post Office Act 1953 (repealed)

87 Interpretation.F14 U.K.

(1) In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the following meanings respectively:—

• . . . F1

• “British postal area” means the United Kingdom, . . . F2 ;

• “chattel” in relation to Scotland means a corporeal moveable;

• “commander”, in relation to an aircraft, includes the pilot or other person in charge of the aircraft;

• “foreign”, in relation to any postal packet, means either posted in the British postal area and sent to a place outside that area, or posted in a place outside that area and sent to a place within that area, or in transit through the British postal area to a place outside that area;

• “inland”, in relation to any postal packet or any description thereof, means posted within the British postal area and addressed to some place in that area, and “inland postage” means the postage chargeable on an inland postal packet;

• “mail” includes every conveyance by which postal packets are carried, whether it be a ship, aircraft, vehicle, horse or any other conveyance, and also a person employed in conveying or delivering postal packets;

• “mail bag” includes . . . F3 any form of container or covering in which postal packets in course of transmission by post are conveyed, whether or not it contains any such packets;

• . . . F1

• “master”, in relation to a ship, includes every person (except a pilot) having command or charge of the ship, whether the ship is a ship of war or other ship;

• “officer of the Post Office” includes the Postmaster-General, and any person employed in any business of the Post Office, whether employed by the Postmaster-General or by any person under him or on behalf of the Post office;

• “parcel” means any postal packet defined as a parcel by . . . F4 [F5 the provisions of a scheme made under s. 28 of the M1 Post Office Act 1969].

• . . . F1

• “postal packet” means a letter, postcard, reply postcard, newspaper, printed packet, sample packet, or parcel, and every packet or article transmissible by post, and includes a telegram;

• “post office” includes any house, building, room, vehicle or place used for the purposes of the Post Office, and any post office letter box;

• “post office letter box” includes any pillar box, wall box, or other box or receptacle provided by the permission or under the authority of the Postmaster-General [F6 or the authority established by section 6 of the M2 Post Office Act 1969] for the purpose of receiving postal packets, or any class of postal packets, for transmission by or under the authority of the Postmaster-General [F6 or the authority established by section 6 of the Post Office Act 1969];

• . . . F7

• F8 . . .

• “regular mail train” has the meaning assigned by section thirty-three of this Act, and F8 . . .

• . . . F1

• “ship” includes any boat or vessel whatsoever;

• F8 . . .

• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

• “the purposes of the Post Office” includes any purpose relating to or in connection with the execution of any duties for the time being undertaken by the Postmaster-General or any of his officers;

• . . . F1

• [F10 “valuable security” means any document creating, transferring, surrendering or releasing any right to, in or over property, or authorising the payment of money or delivery of any property, or evidencing the creation, transfer, surrender or release of any such right, or the payment of money or delivery of any property, or the satisfaction of any obligation];

• “vehicle” includes a railway vehicle.

[F11 (1A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .]

[F12 (1B) In the application of this Act to Great Britain, references to public service vehicles shall be construed in like manner as if they were contained in the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.]

(2) For the purposes of this Act—

(a) a postal packet shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by post from the time of its being delivered to any post office to the time of its being delivered to the addressee;

(b) the delivery of a postal packet of any description to a letter carrier or other person authorised to receive postal packets of that description for the post or to an officer of the Post Office to be dealt with in the course of his duty shall be a delivery to a post office;

[F13 (c) the delivery of a postal packet—

(i) at the premises to which it is addressed or redirected, except they be a post office from which it is to be collected;

(ii) to any box or receptacle to which the occupier of those premises has agreed that postal packets addressed to persons at those premises may be delivered; or

(iii) to the addressee’s servant or agent or to some other person considered to be authorised to receive the packet.

shall be a delivery to the addressee.]

(3) Except in so far as the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Act to any other enactment shall be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended by or under any other enactment, including this Act.

(4) A reference in any enactment other than this Act to a post letter shall be construed as a reference to a postal packet within the meaning of this Act.

Textual Amendments

F1 Definition repealed by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 11 Pt. II

F2 Words repealed by S.I. 1969/1368, art. 14 and 1973/960, art. 16

F3 Words repealed by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 11 Pt. II

F4 Words repealed by Post Office Act 1961 (c. 15), Sch.

F5 Words substituted by virtue of Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(21)

F6 Words inserted by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(22)

F7 Definitions repealed by Road Traffic Act 1960 (c. 16), Sch. 18 and Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 11 Pt. II

F8 In s. 87(1), definitions repealed (1.4.1994) by 1993 c. 43, s. 152(3), Sch.14; S.I. 1994/571, art. 5.

F9 Definition “telegraph post” repealed by British Telecommunications Act 1981 (c. 38, SIF 96), Sch. 6 Pt. II

F10 Definition substituted (except in relation to England and Wales and Northern Ireland) by Theft Act 1968 (c. 60), Sch. 2 Pt. I para. 12; definition of “valuable security” repealed by (E.W.) Theft Act 1968 (c. 60), Sch. 2 Pt. I para. 12 and (N.I.) Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (c. 16), Sch. 3. Pt. II

F11 S. 87(1A) (as inserted by 1960 c. 16) repealed (5.11.1993) by 1993 c. 50, s. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pt. XV Group 1

F12 S. 87(1B) inserted (5.11.1993) by 1993 c. 50, s. 1(2), Sch. 2 Pt. II para. 28

F13 S. 87(2)(c) substituted by British Telecommunications Act 1981 (c. 38, SIF 96), s. 77

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Definition of “the purposes of the Post Office” in s. 87(1) amended by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(23)

C2 S. 87(2)(b) amended by Post Office Act 1969 (c. 48), Sch. 4 para. 2(24)

Marginal Citations

M1 1969 c. 48.

M2 1969 c. 48.

Textual Amendments applied to the whole legislation

F14 Act repealed (1.1.2001 for ss. 29, 44, 45, and 26.3.2001 otherwise) by 2000 c. 26, ss. 127(6), 130(1), Sch. 9 Note; S.I. 2000/2957, art. 2(2), Sch. 2 Table; S.I. 2001/878, art. 2, Sch. Table (subject to transitional and saving provisions in arts. 3-17); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2(2), Sch. Table (subject to arts. 3-42)