Statute Law Resources Available Online

The Statute Law Database was released to the public on 20th December 2006. Perhaps surprisingly, it remains incomplete, with 10 historical statutes (e.g. ICTA 1988, Child Support Act 1991) yet to be included. It does include all 2008 primary legislation. 

The Statute Law Database contains both primary legislation, usually in its revised form, i.e. as amended by subsequent legislation, and secondary legislation, usually in its unrevised form. Geographically speaking, all UK legislation is said to be included - so it should be easier to find that Welsh statutory instrument or local act of Northern Ireland that previously eluded you. 

If you have any problems using the database there is a helpdesk which can be reached at sldhelpdesk@nationalarchives.gov.uk. 

Access To Legislation of EU Countries: (http://www.eur-lex.europa.eu/n-lex/pays.html?lang=en)
This is an experimental site which has been available since April 2006. It purports to give access to the legislation of 23 European countries in 22 languages. It has a limited translation facility to help you find the appropriate term to search for in the language of the relevant country.

Unfortunately, it is not comprehensive, has a few broken links and is not as intuitive as it could be; a feature in common with many of the EUR-LEX sites. However, it is a good starting point and is gradually being developed. With increasing interest in e-justice within the Commission, it seems likely that this resource will continue to be supported and may one day be more than "experimental".

Jacqueline Reid