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Freely accessible eresource |
You'll find help to research legal and government information from the UK on this page. Use the menu on the left to find out more about other countries.
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Publication |
Years |
Call No |
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Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales (4th edition) and supplements |
1985+ |
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Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales (3rd edition) |
1968–1985 consolidation |
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Public General Acts |
1987+ |
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1961-1986 |
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1972-2010 |
Offsite Storage |
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1906-1960 |
Offsite Storage |
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1827-1905 (incomplete) |
Offsite Storage |
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1866-1925 |
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The Statutes - Great Britain |
1875-1885 |
Offsite Storage |
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Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
1804–1859 |
Offsite Storage |
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Statutes at large, 10 volumes, 1811 edition |
1225-1800 |
Offsite Storage |
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The Public general acts...and the church assembly measures |
1926-1971 |
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Statutory instruments |
1890-1947 |
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1948-1951 |
Offsite Storage |
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1962-1986 |
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1987-1990 |
Offsite Storage |
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The London Gazette |
1961-1992 (incomplete) |
Offsite Storage |
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1790–1864; 1904-1960 |
Offsite Storage |
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Aug–Sept, 1768 |
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1665-1800 |
Microfilm |
The law made by parliament and often referred to as an Act of Parliament. Sometimes referred to as a statute or legislation.
Acts as originally passed by parliament without amendments. Also referred to as Sessional Acts or Acts as passed.
A Commencement Order is a form of Statutory Instrument which is designed to bring into force the whole or part of an Act of Parliament at a date later than the date of the Royal Assent. If there is no Commencement Order, the Act will come into force from midnight at the start of the day of the Royal Assent.
Public General Acts form the largest category of legislation, in principle affecting the public general law applying to everyone across the entire United Kingdom.
Halsbury’s Statutes of England and Wales (commonly referred to as Halsbury's Statutes) is a printed source of all current Acts of Parliament that incorporates repeals and amendments into the text of the act.
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Royal Assent is the Monarch's agreement to make a Bill into an Act of Parliament. The Monarch actually has the right to refuse Royal Assent but nowadays this does not happen and the Royal Assent is a formality.
Statutes at Large is the name given to published collections or series of legislative Acts in a number of jurisdictions.
Statutory Instruments, also known as SIs, are a form of legislation which allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force or altered without Parliament having to pass a new Act. They are also referred to as secondary, delegated or subordinate legislation.
This Guide has been developed by staff of the Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC), State Library of NSW. The State Library holds an extensive collection of case law, legislation and looseleaf publications.
See the glossary for explanations of terms used on this page, such as:
Most Library material is held in storage on site.
You can request material via the catalogue and up to seven days in advance.
Most material will be ready to collect in 30-45 minutes.
State Library material held at offsite storage will be available after 4pm the next weekday. Call (02)9273 1414 to request in advance.
