Legislation

This page contains links to quality websites for legislation. If you are looking for amended legislation it is best to use either of the two main legal databases - Westlaw or LexisLibrary which are updated daily.

Scottish and UK Legislation web sites

Acts of Parliament

Legislation UK the official home of revised enacted UK legislation from 1267 to present; including UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. N.B. all changes to legislation enacted since 2002 have not yet been incorporated in to the database. Where this is the case the legislation is clearly flagged.

Bills and debates

Bills before the UK parliament full details of the progress of all bills currently before the UK parliament, with links to explanatory notes and all relevant bill documents.
Bills before the Scottish Parliament full details of all bills currently before the Scottish parliament, with links to all bill documents. Links also to bills in previous sessions.
How does a bill become law? see the passage of a bill through the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Hansard Verbatim reports of debates, questions and other proceedings in the House of Commons and the House of Lords chambers and committees, Learn more about Hansard.
Historical Hansard 1803-2005

The Laws of Scotland

The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia is a key source of the current law in Scotland. It is a comprehensive and authoritative narrative statement written by legal experts - both practitioners and academics. The work is arranged alphabetically by subject title and is regularly updated to reflect the law as it develops.

The Laws of England and Wales

Halsbury's Laws of England online The only comprehensive narrative statement of the law of England and Wales, containing law derived from every source. Halsbury's Laws of England covers every proposition of English law (whether statutory or common law), and is divided into alphabetically arranged titles, making it convenient to use and enabling quick and easy research into any area of law.

European legislation, including treaties

EUR-Lex access to European Union law: case law (from 1954 onwards), legislation in force, treaties and international agreements.
United Nations Treaty Collection is a searchable database of all multilateral treaties deposited with the UN and those formerly deposited with the League of Nations.