{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-environmental-information-regulations-2004/regulation-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-environmental-information-regulations-2004/regulation-15.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2004/0110503317",
  "legislation_title": "The Environmental Information Regulations 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-environmental-information-regulations-2004",
  "path": "regulation/15",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "Ministerial certificates",
  "text": "(1) A Minister of the Crown may certify that a refusal to disclose information under regulation 12(1) is because the disclosure—\n(a) would adversely affect national security; and\n(b) would not be in the public interest under regulation 12(1)(b).\n(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—\n(a) a Minister of the Crown may designate a person to certify the matters in that paragraph on his behalf; and\n(b) a refusal to disclose information under regulation 12(1) includes a response under regulation 12(6).\n(3) A certificate issued in accordance with paragraph (1)—\n(a) shall be conclusive evidence of the matters in that paragraph; and\n(b) may identify the information to which it relates in general terms.\n(4) A document purporting to be a certificate under paragraph (1) shall be received in evidence and deemed to be such a certificate unless the contrary is proved.\n(5) A document which purports to be certified by or on behalf of a Minister of the Crown as a true copy of a certificate issued by that Minister under paragraph (1) shall in any legal proceedings be evidence (or, in Scotland, sufficient evidence) of that certificate.\n(6) In paragraphs (1), (2) and (5), a “Minister of the Crown” has the same meaning as in section 25(3) of the Act.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2004/0110503317/regulation/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T15:23:28.459281+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}