A command paper is a document issued by the
UK Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
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and presented to
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
.
White paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...
s,
green paper
In the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth countries, Hong Kong, the United States and the European Union, a green paper is a tentative government report and consultation document of policy proposals for debate and discussion. A green paper represen ...
s,
treaties
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
, government responses, draft bills, reports from
Royal Commissions, reports from independent inquiries and various government organisations can be released as command papers, so called because they are presented to Parliament formally "By
His Majesty's Command".
Dissemination
Command papers are:
* produced by government departments
* printed on behalf of
His Majesty's Stationery Office
The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...
* 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 on
gov.uk
gov.uk (styled on the site as GOV.UK) is a United Kingdom public sector information website, created by the Government Digital Service to provide a single point of access to HM Government services. The site launched as a beta on 31 January 2012, ...
* subject to statutory
legal deposit
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposi ...
Numbering
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.
See also
*
Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
*
Treaty series
References
{{reflist
External links
*Command papers o
GOV.UK*UK national government publications at th
British Library
Collections of treaties
Government of the United Kingdom
Government reports
Documents of the United Kingdom