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Frequently Asked Legal Research
Questions
How do I find when an Act has
come into force?
The commencement
section of the Act itself gives details of how the Act will come into
force. If there is no information given then commencement is the date of
Royal Assent.
Free web sources
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OPSI -
www.opsi.gov.uk - Acts are found under Legislation - UK - Acts. Use
the alphabetical lists under each year or use the general search box if
you only have the title but not the year of the Act. |
Hard copy sources
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"Is it in force?" volume of Halsbury's Statutes gives
commencement dates of Acts passed in the last 25 years. This is an
annual publication so use the Noter-Up service volume to bring the
information up to date. |
Subscription-based
databases
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Lawtel - use the Statutory Law database and then the
Statutory Status Table.
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LexisNexis Professional - the notes that accompany the
text give commencement details.
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LNB Legislation Direct - use the "Is it in force?"
facility.
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Westlaw - legislation analysis section gives
commencement information. |
Back to Frequently Asked Questions: Researching UK Law
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