Legislation.Gov.UK
Document Type
Website
Abstract
Legislaiton.gov.uk, maintained by the National Archives, is a free and reliable source to research UK legislation. It carries all primary legislation from 1988 and secondary legislation from 1987. Although there is no equivalent of a statutory code in the UK, users may consult the “Latest Available (Revised) Version” to find the law with the most recent changes.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island (UK) contains four jurisdictions: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The UK Parliament in Westminster, London retains the exclusive power to pass legislation for all jurisdictions on “reserved matters”-for example, the making of peace or war, defense, international trade, foreign relations and other matters of public concern. Wales, Scotland and Northern Island have their own legislative bodies and may pass laws on issues that are known as “devolved matters.”
UK legislation are divided into two main categories: primary and secondary legislation. The laws passed by the legislative bodies of the UK (e.g., Acts of the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly) are “primary legislation” or “statutes”. Secondary legislation (also known as “subordinate” or “delegated” legislation) are equivalent to administrative regulations in the United States-they are specialized rules and regulations issued by ministers or governmental entities with authority delegated to them by an Act of Parliament.
Publication Date
2021
Recommended Citation
National Archives (Great Britain), "Legislation.Gov.UK" (2021). AALL Legal Website of the Month. 38.
https://ir.law.utk.edu/aall_websites/38