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The United Kingdom Official Publications Database (UKOP) catalogues all parliamentary and statutory publications (including Acts and Statutory Instruments), and the publications of over 2500 official bodies including central government departments, the devolved administrations, agencies, quangos and other bodies. Selected output of international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation is also included.

UKOP is the official authoritative catalogue of official government publications in the United Kingdom, and is now published by The Stationery Office Ltd (TSO).

Although many government departments and agencies produce their own bibliographic databases UKOP enables users to trace government publications without having any knowledge of the departments that might have been involved in their production.

To find out more about the UKOP service and request a free trial go to the UKOP website.

We have also produced a detailed guidance note which sets out the responsibilities of government departments and agencies in maintaining the record and enabling the search and access of official publications.

Many official publications are now made available online, either from specialist sites- such as the Official Documents website for Command and House of Commons Papers and legislation.gov.uk for legislation - or from a department's own website.  The National Archives is preserving digital government information by regularly archiving UK central government websites.  This archive can be found at nationalarchives.gov.uk/webarchive.

Where an official publication is not available in either print or electronic format, a copy of the document may be available through one of the Legal Deposit Libraries.  There are six legal deposit libraries in the United Kingdom and in Ireland whose holdings make up the National Published Archive of the British Isles. These are:

  • The British Library, London
  • The Bodleian Library, Oxford
  • The University Library, Cambridge
  • The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
  • The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
  • The Library of Trinity College, Dublin

Although it is not a Legal Deposit Library under the terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act, the Library of Queen's University, Belfast is treated as an official deposit library for Northern Ireland official publications.  Further information about Legal Deposit Libraries can be found in the guidance note The National Published Archive - Legal Deposit of Official Publications.

Purchasing Official Publications

Individual government departments are responsible for putting in place their own arrangements for the publication and sale of the official publications that they produce. Departmental websites will also provide information as to where copies of individual publications may be obtained.

All HMSO publications have, since 1996, been available from The Stationery Office Ltd (TSO), the private sector company that acquired the former HMSO's trading functions following privatisation. TSO continues to be the major publisher of official publications including all Parliamentary publications and Command Papers, legislation, the official Gazettes and other statutory publications. TSO publications can be ordered online via the TSO Online Bookshop, by e-mail to TSO customer services, or by post to:

TSO
PO Box 29
Norwich
NR3 1GN
Tel: +44 (0)870 600 5522
Fax: 0870 600 5533.

These government departments have established the following arrangements for distribution of their publications:

Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) publications (which includes UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and Insolvency Service publications) are available from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) website.
 
Alternatively orders can be placed through the following channels:

BIS Publications Orderline
ADMAIL 528
London S
W1W 8YT
 
Tel: +44 (0)845 015 0010
Fax: 0845 015 0020
Minicom: 0845 015 0030

Email: publications@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Communities and Local Government (CLG)

Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) publications can be ordered by post from:

Communities and Local Government Publications
Cambertown Ltd
Cambertown House
Commercial Road
Goldthorpe Industrial Estate
Rotherham
S63 9BL

Tel: +44 (0)300 123 1124
Fax: 0300 123 1125

email: product@communities.gsi.gov.uk
Web: www.communities.gov.uk

Department of Health (DH)

Free copies of Department of Health publications can be ordered online at orderline.dh.gov.uk, or by telephone on +44 (0)300 123 1002 and Minicom 0300 123 1003.

Department for Transport (DfT)

DfT Sale Publications can be ordered by post to:

Department for Transport Publications
P O Box 236
Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7NB

Tel: +44 (0870 122 6236
Fax: 0870 122 6237
Textphone: 0870 120 7405

email: DFT@twoten.press.net

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Priced and non-priced printed and multimedia products published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can be ordered online at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publications website, or by contacting HSE Books at:

HSE Books
PO Box 1999
Sudbury
Suffolk
United Kingdom
CO10 2WA

Tel: +44 (0)1787 881165
Fax: 01787 313995

email: hsebooks@prolog.uk.com