Her Majesty's Stationery Office
The Her Majesty's Stationery Office , or HMSO for short , established in 1786 , was a British state publisher until 2005 and was jointly responsible for the Crown copyright , the copyright for publications by the British state. The latter task is carried out today under the name Office of Public Sector Information ( OPSI ).
history
The HMSO was founded on April 5, 1786 during the reign of King George III. established as His Majesty's Stationery Office . The task of this office was initially only, as can be deduced from the name, the procurement of paper, ink and other writing materials for the British Treasury. From 1806 the HMSO was bound to purchase the goods in public tender at the best possible price. This ended the practice of buying goods from certain, specially authorized dealers at significantly inflated prices. In 1822, the role of the Office was expanded by requiring all other British Government departments to obtain paper and writing materials through the HMSO.
In the following years, the HMSO also took on publishing tasks, such as the responsibility for printing constitutional documents. In 1882 the HMSO took on the role of the official publisher for texts of the two houses of the British Parliament , the House of Commons and the House of Lords . This function was established again in 1889 , when Queen Victoria granted the office, now called Her Majesty's Stationery Office , according to the sex of the monarch, the concession to print all resolutions and laws passed in parliament. At the same time the HMSO was given responsibility for the Crown copyright , the copyright for publications of the British state.
Also in 1889, the HMSO became the publisher of the British Government's official gazette for England , the London Gazette .
Partial privatization and reorganization
After the HMSO had to work within its role as a state office under private-sector principles since April 1, 1980, numerous tasks of the HMSO were privatized in 1996. Both the trading activities and the majority of the publishing functions were transferred to The Stationery Office (TSO) , a private company founded in 1995.
The responsibility for the Crown copyright as well as legally stipulated supervisory and advisory tasks in connection with the publication of official, legal and parliamentary texts remained with the HMSO. On May 16, 2005, the HMSO was integrated into the newly created Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) , which coordinates the use and publication of information from the government sector.
literature
- Hugh Barty-King: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The story of the first 200 years, 1786-1986 . HMSO, London 1986. ISBN 0-11-701304-8 -