Website disclaimer and terms and conditions of use

ESL's website is maintained for the personal use and viewing of users. Access to and use of this website is subject to the following Terms and Conditions.

1. Rights Granted and Main Restrictions

1.1. The access and use of any ESL website featuring these Terms and Conditions constitutes the user's acceptance of these Terms and Conditions which take effect from the date from which each user first uses any such website.

1.2. All rights, including copyright, in the content of ESL web pages are owned or controlled for these purposes by ESL. Users may download printed copies of the material displayed on a ESL website for personal use only; provided that each user retains all copyright notices and other proprietary notices contained on or in relation to the materials included in that ESL website. Users may not print, copy, reproduce, download, republish, broadcast, transmit, display, modify or re-use the materials from the ESL website for any other purpose, including in particular any purpose which publicly re-sells or re-uses the materials.

1.3. The trade marks, logos, names and images displayed on ESL websites are the registered or unregistered trade marks of ESL and others. Nothing in a ESL website should be taken as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any licence or right to use any trade mark displayed on such website without the prior written approval of ESL or such third party as may own the relevant trade mark.

2. Disclaimer

2.1. ESL websites and the content, names, text and images included on them are provided 'AS IS'. While reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of such websites to ensure that the information contained on it is accurate, no warranty or representation of satisfactory quality or fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement of title, whether express or implied, is given, nor is any warranty or representation given that the information and materials contained on such websites are free from errors or inaccuracy.

2.2. This website contains Acts, Statutory Instruments and other primary legislative materials. These materials are licensed reproductions of materials published by ESL on behalf of Parliament or the Crown and are not the official versions. Official versions of legislative materials can be obtained from ESL in print form or accessed online at the website of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (now OPSI). Furthermore, the legislative materials have been reproduced on this site as originally published, and have not been consolidated with subsequent amendments unless the original publication was itself a Consolidated Act. Users should be aware that Acts are often subject to subsequent amendment and the original Act should be read in conjunction with those amendments.

2.3. Our websites contain guidance and notes on certain aspects of law as they might affect the average person. They are intended only as a broad guideline and are by no means definitive. The law is constantly changing so expert advice should always be sought.

2.4. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, no liability is accepted for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage however resulting from the access to and use of ESL websites and the information and materials contained on them.

2.5. Links contained in ESL websites may lead to websites not under the control of ESL and ESL is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Links provided on ESL websites are provided to users only as a convenience and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by ESL of, and ESL accepts no liability in respect of the content of, any such linked site. Users link to any linked sites at their own risk.

3. Linking

Users shall not be entitled (nor shall they assist others) to set up links from their own websites to any ESL website (whether by hypertext linking, deep-linking, framing, tagging or otherwise) without the prior written consent of ESL, which consent ESL may at its absolute discretion, and without providing a reason, grant or withhold.

4. Supply of Information

4.1. Any communication or information (apart from payment transaction information, including credit-card particulars) transmitted by a user to a ESL website by electronic mail or otherwise will be treated as non-proprietary and non-confidential. Anything transmitted by any user may be used by ESL or its affiliates for any purpose, including, without limitation, broadcast, transmission, publication, reproduction, disclosure, posting and any other use whatsoever.

Although ESL may from time to time monitor or review discussions, chats, postings, transmissions, bulletin boards and the like on its websites, ESL is under no obligation to do so and assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the content of any such locations nor for any error, omission, infringement, defamation, obscenity, or inaccuracy contained in any information within such locations on its websites.

If applicable, users are prohibited from posting or transmitting any unlawful, defamatory, obscene or scandalous material or any material that constitutes or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offence, likely to give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violates any law. ESL will fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing ESL to disclose the identity of anyone posting any such information or materials on its websites.

4.2. If applicable, ESL's web server may automatically recognise the domain name and email address (where possible) of users of its websites. ESL may collect the domain name and email address of visitors to its websites, the email addresses of those who communicate with ESL via email and aggregate information on what pages users access or visit and information volunteered by the user, such as survey information and/or site registrations.

4.3. The information collected by ESL is used for internal review, used to improve the content of its website, used to customise the content and/or layout of its websites for each individual user, used to notify users about updates to its websites, used by ESL to contact users for marketing purposes and is not shared with other organisations for commercial purposes.

5. Returns Policy

5.1. We will replace at no extra cost any goods damaged before or on delivery, if you notify us by telephone or in writing within 5 days of their receipt.

5.2. We will replace at no extra cost to you, any goods which in our reasonable opinion have been lost in transit provided that you notify us by telephone or in writing if the Goods fail to arrive within 28 days after the anticipated delivery date.

5.3. Where you are a consumer (non-business customer) and entitled to cancel under the Consumer Protection (Distance Regulations 2000), you may cancel your order without cause within seven days of receipt of the goods, provided that orders for the supply of audio or video recordings or computer software may not be cancelled once the goods have been unsealed. Otherwise you will not be entitled to cancel any order that we have already entered into our order processing system.

5.4. ESL's acknowledgement must be sought before any goods are returned for credit.

6. Revision of Terms and Conditions

6.1. ESL may at any time revise these Terms and Conditions without notice by posting changes on-line. Users are responsible for reviewing all information posted on-line and the continued use of ESL websites after changes are posted constitute the user's acceptance of modified Terms and Conditions.

6.2. A user's authorisation to use ESL websites automatically terminates without notice if in ESL's sole discretion the user fails to comply with any of the Terms and Conditions. On termination, the user must cease all use of ESL websites and destroy all and any materials copied directly or indirectly from any such websites.

7. General

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England. If any provision of the foregoing is held to be unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions. The Stationery Office Ltd websites are maintained for the personal use and viewing of users. Access to and use of these websites is subject to the terms and conditions of use above.