Command paper
Acommand paperis an official document in theUnited Kingdomwhich is issued byHis Majesty's Government(HMG) and presented toParliament.
White papers,green papers,treaties,government responses, draft bills, reports fromroyal commissions,reports from independent inquiries and various government organisations can be released as command papers, so called because they are presented to Parliament formally "ByHis Majesty's Command ".
Dissemination
[edit]Command papers are:
- produced by government departments
- printed on behalf ofHis Majesty's Stationery Office(HMSO)
- presented to Parliament "by Command of His Majesty" by the appropriate government minister
- recorded by the House of Commons and the House of Lords
- published by government departments ongov.uk
- subject to statutorylegal deposit
Numbering
[edit]Command papers are numbered. Since 1870 they have been prefixed with an abbreviation of "command" which has changed over time to allow for new sequences.
| Prefix | Dates | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1833–1869 | 1 to 4222[1] | |
| C. | 1870–1899 | C.1 to C.9550[1] |
| Cd. | 1900–1918 | Cd.1 to Cd.9239[1] |
| Cmd. | 1919–1956 | Cmd.1 to Cmd.9889[1] |
| Cmnd. | 1956–1986 | Cmnd.1 to Cmnd.9927[2] |
| Cm. | 1986–2018 | Cm.1 to Cm.9756 |
| CP | 2019– | CP 1 upwards |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdWilliams, G. L. (1982).Learning the Law(11th ed.). London: Stevens. p. 180.ISBN978-0-420-46290-9.
- ^TheAustralian Guide to Legal Citation.Third Edition. Melbourne University Law Review Association Inc. Melbourne Journal of Law International Inc. Melbourne. 2010. Page 248.
External links
[edit]- Command papers onGOV.UK
- UK national government publications at theBritish Library