The UK’s National Archives has launched a website world first, allowing public access to the country’s legislation at the click of a button.
The virtual statute book is free of charge and will allow lawyers, officials and citizens to examine an array of laws, such as those on which their rights and responsibilities are based.
The website, which was created following Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s call for wider democratic involvement in legislative processes, means that anyone will be able to access the legislation for their own personal services.
The database is enormous, with 6.5m PDF documents and covers any UK legislation in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as details of any amendments.
Lord McNally, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of House of Lords said: “This is the public’s statute book and the website presents complex information in a clear and intuitive way. This is groundbreaking work that puts democracy at the heart of legislation and makes a major contribution to the government’s transparency agenda.”
ACQ Magazine