Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to make further provision for the treatment of cancer, to authorise the Minister of Health to lend money to the National Radium Trust, to prohibit certain advertisements relating to cancer, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid. |
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Citation | 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 13 |
Territorial extent | England & Wales, Scotland |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 29 March 1939 |
Other legislation | |
Amended by | National Health Service Act 1946 |
Status: Amended | |
Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Text of the Cancer Act 1939 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Cancer Act 1939 (2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 13) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1939 to:
As of December 2014, the sole remaining provision is in respect of advertising to treat or cure cancer, all other provisions having been repealed or subsumed into other legislation. The Act does not apply in Northern Ireland.
The Act's most notable provision is a clause prohibiting taking any part in publication, except under specified conditions, of advertisements that "offer to treat any person for cancer, or to prescribe any remedy therefor, or to give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof". Prosecutions do take place, but are rare. [1]
The expression "advertisement" includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper or other document, and any announcement made orally or by any means of producing or transmitting sounds.
The Act provides for exceptions in making material available to registered medical and nursing personnel and pharmacists, and for material produced by hospitals and local authorities.
According to an answer given in the House of Commons on 12 June 2014 [2] [3] there were 21 convictions under the Act between 1984 and 2013, and from then until 12 June 2014 there have been another four.
Convictions that have been reported in the press include:
Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail or incarcerated, and results in the conviction or acquittal of the defendant. Criminal procedure can be either in form of inquisitorial or adversarial criminal procedure.
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False advertising is the act of publishing, transmitting, distributing, or otherwise publicly circulating an advertisement containing a false claim, or statement, made intentionally to promote the sale of property, goods, or services. A false advertisement can be classified as deceptive if the advertiser deliberately misleads the consumer, rather than making an unintentional mistake. A number of governments use regulations or other laws and methods to limit false advertising.
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The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. On introducing the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, said, "The aim of this Bill is to protect the victims of harassment. It will protect all such victims whatever the source of the harassment—so-called stalking behaviour, racial harassment, or anti-social behaviour by neighbours." Home Office guidance on the Act says "The legislation was always intended to tackle stalking, but the offences were drafted to tackle any form of persistent conduct which causes another person alarm or distress."
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