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  • The Civil Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

    Topics:
    • Good management, good records, 
    • Legal and professional obligations

    This Order provides the legal basis for the use of documents and records of any format to be admissible as evidence in civil proceedings.

    The Order

    This includes electronic patient records.

    Statements contained within documents may be admissible even where the original document has been lost and only a copy is available.

    Documents that form part of a record are also admissible as long as the public authority supplies a signed certificate verifying the authenticity of the document.

    • The Civil Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

    Records management considerations

    A public authority is making a legal statement by authenticating such documents and records, therefore the organisation must be sure of the quality and reliability of an electronic record. It will therefore be important to be able to verify that the computer was not misused and was operating properly at the time the record was produced.

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    • Police Act 1997
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    • The Access to Health Records (Northern Ireland) Order 1993
    • The Access to Personal Files and Medical Reports (Northern Ireland) Order 1991
    • The Adoption Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989
    • The Census (Confidentiality) (Northern Ireland) Order 1991
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    • The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
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    • The Foster Placement (Children) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996
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    • The Gender Recognition (Disclosure of Information) (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Order 2005
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    • The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978
    • The High-activity Sealed Radioactive Sources and Orphan Sources Regulations 2005
    • The Human Rights Act 1998
    • The Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989
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    • The Public Records Act (Northern Ireland) 1923
    • The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992
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