Difference between revisions of "Revising Legislation/Introduction to Revising Legislation"
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==Background to Revised Legislation== | ==Background to Revised Legislation== | ||
===General Background=== | ===General Background=== | ||
| − | Legislation.gov.uk was launched in July 2010 and is managed by The National Archives. It contains original (as enacted) and revised versions of legislation. Revised legislation was first made available online in December 2006, as the UK Statute Law Database. As enacted legislation was originally published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website.<br/><br/>The text of the online revised legislation came mainly from a printed publication called 'Statutes in Force'. This was a 'loose-leaf' edition of the official revised statute book and was arranged by subject matter. Statutes in Force was regularly updated and included the effects of new legislation made until 1 February 1991.<br/><br/>To go further back, the text of Statutes in Force was derived mainly from a publication called 'The Statutes Revised', which in turn mainly sourced its information from a publication called 'The Statutes of the Realm'. This was published between 1810 and 1828 and contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the English Parliament (which encompassed Wales) until the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. It also contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 until the end of the Reign of Queen Anne in 1814. The text of Scottish Acts enacted before the Union came from 'The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland'. This was published between 1814 and 1875.<br/>< | + | Legislation.gov.uk was launched in July 2010 and is managed by The National Archives. It contains original (as enacted) and revised versions of legislation. Revised legislation was first made available online in December 2006, as the UK Statute Law Database. As enacted legislation was originally published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website.<br/><br/>The text of the online revised legislation came mainly from a printed publication called 'Statutes in Force'. This was a 'loose-leaf' edition of the official revised statute book and was arranged by subject matter. Statutes in Force was regularly updated and included the effects of new legislation made until 1 February 1991.<br/><br/>To go further back, the text of Statutes in Force was derived mainly from a publication called 'The Statutes Revised', which in turn mainly sourced its information from a publication called 'The Statutes of the Realm'. This was published between 1810 and 1828 and contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the English Parliament (which encompassed Wales) until the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. It also contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 until the end of the Reign of Queen Anne in 1814. The text of Scottish Acts enacted before the Union came from 'The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland'. This was published between 1814 and 1875.<br/> |
| + | <!--At present only primary legislation is revised, though our intention is to start revising secondary legislation soon.--> | ||
| + | <br/>Another important source of revised legislation is 'The Northern Ireland Statutes Revised' - the official revised version of the primary legislation of Northern Ireland. Legislation.gov.uk has incorporated the content of the numbered volumes and their supplements as it stood at 31 December 2005, which cover the period from 1921 onwards. Pre-1921 Acts of the UK Parliament and its predecessor parliaments extending to Northern Ireland have not yet been incorporated. There's more information about the complexity of Northern Ireland legislation below.<br/><br/> | ||
<div id="tna-Note_on_Northern_Ireland_Legislation"></div> | <div id="tna-Note_on_Northern_Ireland_Legislation"></div> | ||
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===Northern Ireland Legislation=== | ===Northern Ireland Legislation=== | ||
| − | The story of primary legislation for Northern Ireland is complicated by the foundation of an independent Irish state in the South and the consequent partition of the island in 1921. The Parliament of Northern Ireland existed from 1921 to 1972, and passed 'Acts'. In 1972 it was suspended. A new legislature was set up in 1973 (like the present body, this was called the Northern Ireland Assembly). This body passed a few items of legislation (called ‘Measures’) in 1974, before being dissolved.<br/><br/>The present Northern Ireland Assembly was set up in 1998. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 devolved power to the new Assembly to make legislation for Northern Ireland (in the form of ‘Acts’), though the power to legislate on certain matters was retained by the UK Parliament. The Assembly was suspended briefly on several occasions, but in October 2002 it was suspended for nearly four-and-a-half years. The Assembly and devolved government were restored on 8 May 2007.<br/><br/>When the devolved government was suspended, including periods of suspension of the present Assembly, the UK government made legislation for Northern Ireland using ‘Orders in Council’. | + | The story of primary legislation for Northern Ireland is complicated by the foundation of an independent Irish state in the South and the consequent partition of the island in 1921. The Parliament of Northern Ireland existed from 1921 to 1972, and passed 'Acts'. In 1972 it was suspended. A new legislature was set up in 1973 (like the present body, this was called the Northern Ireland Assembly). This body passed a few items of legislation (called ‘Measures’) in 1974, before being dissolved.<br/><br/>The present Northern Ireland Assembly was set up in 1998. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 devolved power to the new Assembly to make legislation for Northern Ireland (in the form of ‘Acts’), though the power to legislate on certain matters was retained by the UK Parliament. The Assembly was suspended briefly on several occasions, but in October 2002 it was suspended for nearly four-and-a-half years. The Assembly and devolved government were restored on 8 May 2007.<br/><br/>When the devolved government was suspended, including periods of suspension of the present Assembly, the UK government made legislation for Northern Ireland using ‘Orders in Council’. ‘Orders in Council’ are orders made by the King on the advice of his Privy Council.<br/>All the legislation for Northern Ireland mentioned above (the legislation remaining in force and including consolidated revisions) was brought together in 'The Northern Ireland Statutes Revised' (NISR), which was then the official revised version of the primary legislation of Northern Ireland. NISR was produced by the staff of the Northern Ireland Statutory Publications Office in Belfast (NISPO). The revised legislation of Northern Ireland is still maintained in Belfast by NISPO staff.<br/><br/>We have tried to incorporate Northern Ireland statutes into legislation.gov.uk as seamlessly as possible, but there remain many variations in presentation between the Northern Ireland statutes and other legislation on the website. We've flagged some of the more significant of these variations at the appropriate places in this Wiki. |
==How Legislation is Revised== | ==How Legislation is Revised== | ||
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===The Editorial Process=== | ===The Editorial Process=== | ||
| − | When we receive a new | + | When we receive a new item of legislation, a newly enacted Act for example, the first thing we do is to analyse it carefully to identify all its impacts on other legislation. These are mostly amendments to the text of the other legislation. But there are also many effects that do not change the text, such as when the other legislation is said to be ‘applied’ or ‘modified’. We also note other information about new primary legislation, such as when it comes into force and its geographical extent or territorial application. We use this information when setting up the timeline and extent facilities for the legislation and its provisions on legislation.gov.uk. |
A version of the legislation 'as enacted' is published on legislation.gov.uk shortly after it is enacted. Once we have entered all of the impacts on other legislation, and inserted any annotations needed at this stage about commencement or extent, we publish a 'Latest Available (Revised)' version. | A version of the legislation 'as enacted' is published on legislation.gov.uk shortly after it is enacted. Once we have entered all of the impacts on other legislation, and inserted any annotations needed at this stage about commencement or extent, we publish a 'Latest Available (Revised)' version. | ||
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==Editorial Processes - Overview== | ==Editorial Processes - Overview== | ||
| − | [[File:Editorial_Processes.jpg | + | [[File:Editorial_Processes.jpg]] |
This diagram summarises the work flow and processes followed by our editorial team. | This diagram summarises the work flow and processes followed by our editorial team. | ||
Latest revision as of 14:28, 24 July 2023
Background to Revised Legislation
General Background
Legislation.gov.uk was launched in July 2010 and is managed by The National Archives. It contains original (as enacted) and revised versions of legislation. Revised legislation was first made available online in December 2006, as the UK Statute Law Database. As enacted legislation was originally published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website.
The text of the online revised legislation came mainly from a printed publication called 'Statutes in Force'. This was a 'loose-leaf' edition of the official revised statute book and was arranged by subject matter. Statutes in Force was regularly updated and included the effects of new legislation made until 1 February 1991.
To go further back, the text of Statutes in Force was derived mainly from a publication called 'The Statutes Revised', which in turn mainly sourced its information from a publication called 'The Statutes of the Realm'. This was published between 1810 and 1828 and contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the English Parliament (which encompassed Wales) until the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. It also contained the full text of public Acts enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 until the end of the Reign of Queen Anne in 1814. The text of Scottish Acts enacted before the Union came from 'The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland'. This was published between 1814 and 1875.
Another important source of revised legislation is 'The Northern Ireland Statutes Revised' - the official revised version of the primary legislation of Northern Ireland. Legislation.gov.uk has incorporated the content of the numbered volumes and their supplements as it stood at 31 December 2005, which cover the period from 1921 onwards. Pre-1921 Acts of the UK Parliament and its predecessor parliaments extending to Northern Ireland have not yet been incorporated. There's more information about the complexity of Northern Ireland legislation below.
Northern Ireland Legislation
The story of primary legislation for Northern Ireland is complicated by the foundation of an independent Irish state in the South and the consequent partition of the island in 1921. The Parliament of Northern Ireland existed from 1921 to 1972, and passed 'Acts'. In 1972 it was suspended. A new legislature was set up in 1973 (like the present body, this was called the Northern Ireland Assembly). This body passed a few items of legislation (called ‘Measures’) in 1974, before being dissolved.
The present Northern Ireland Assembly was set up in 1998. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 devolved power to the new Assembly to make legislation for Northern Ireland (in the form of ‘Acts’), though the power to legislate on certain matters was retained by the UK Parliament. The Assembly was suspended briefly on several occasions, but in October 2002 it was suspended for nearly four-and-a-half years. The Assembly and devolved government were restored on 8 May 2007.
When the devolved government was suspended, including periods of suspension of the present Assembly, the UK government made legislation for Northern Ireland using ‘Orders in Council’. ‘Orders in Council’ are orders made by the King on the advice of his Privy Council.
All the legislation for Northern Ireland mentioned above (the legislation remaining in force and including consolidated revisions) was brought together in 'The Northern Ireland Statutes Revised' (NISR), which was then the official revised version of the primary legislation of Northern Ireland. NISR was produced by the staff of the Northern Ireland Statutory Publications Office in Belfast (NISPO). The revised legislation of Northern Ireland is still maintained in Belfast by NISPO staff.
We have tried to incorporate Northern Ireland statutes into legislation.gov.uk as seamlessly as possible, but there remain many variations in presentation between the Northern Ireland statutes and other legislation on the website. We've flagged some of the more significant of these variations at the appropriate places in this Wiki.
How Legislation is Revised
The National Archives' Legislation Services team is responsible for revising the legislation on legislation.gov.uk, with the exception of Northern Ireland legislation, which is revised by staff in the Northern Ireland Statutory Publications Office. If you'd like to find out more go to About us.
The National Archives has also introduced an Expert Participation programme, where partners can contribute to revising the legislation on legislation.gov.uk. The expert participation process, involving review by a qualified review editor, ensures accuracy, with collaboration expanding the number of contributors who are updating legislation. Our partners to date include participants from the legal publishing industry, government departments and the devolved administrations, as well as additional editorial services provided by The Stationery Office, who are The National Archives' contractor.
Revising legislation involves amending the text of the legislation and adding annotations that contain information about effects on legislation or other editorial information. This section explains our approach to editing legislation, describes the types of annotation we use and gives an overview of the main editorial conventions we follow in drafting annotations.
Our Approach to Editing Legislation
Principles
A key principle is to present the revised text of legislation clearly and accurately without gloss or comment. We give the authority for changes to the text, and record any other effects that make some difference to the meaning, scope or application of the legislation. But otherwise, we aim to let the legislation speak for itself precisely as the legislature has framed it. We use additional editorial information sparingly, generally either to explain our presentation of the text where necessary, or to draw attention to some difficulty in the reading of the text that has arisen from the way in which it has been amended. We avoid interpretation as far as possible, though an element of interpretation is sometimes required in deciding whether (or how) one piece of legislation affects another.
The Editorial Process
When we receive a new item of legislation, a newly enacted Act for example, the first thing we do is to analyse it carefully to identify all its impacts on other legislation. These are mostly amendments to the text of the other legislation. But there are also many effects that do not change the text, such as when the other legislation is said to be ‘applied’ or ‘modified’. We also note other information about new primary legislation, such as when it comes into force and its geographical extent or territorial application. We use this information when setting up the timeline and extent facilities for the legislation and its provisions on legislation.gov.uk.
A version of the legislation 'as enacted' is published on legislation.gov.uk shortly after it is enacted. Once we have entered all of the impacts on other legislation, and inserted any annotations needed at this stage about commencement or extent, we publish a 'Latest Available (Revised)' version.
As soon as the analysis of the legislation is complete, we tabulate the the extracted information about its effects on other legislation. This is then added to the ‘Changes to Legislation’ facility on legislation.gov.uk. This process typically takes around four to eight weeks, depending on the volume of new legislation. If the Act is very large, or very heavily affects other legislation, or if we've received a large number of Acts that have received Royal Assent at the same time, it can take longer. If the primary legislation on legislation.gov.uk has any unapplied effects, we let the user know by flagging it in the 'Changes to Legislation' banner on the website. Clicking on the banner reveals the outstanding changes.
This information also helps the editor as the bulk of the editorial work involves carrying through the effects of the new legislation into the affected legislation by editing the text and adding appropriate annotations.
Editorial Processes - Overview
This diagram summarises the work flow and processes followed by our editorial team.
Introduction to editorial.legislation.gov.uk
Editorial.legislation.gov.uk is the system we use to update the revised legislation on legislation.gov.uk. It allows us to do preparation, research, update and corrections in one place. It's easy to use and makes it possible to automate a lot of the tasks that previously had to be done manually, making it much quicker to do updates.
When you log on, you will be taken to your dashboard. This is where you'll find the work that's been allocated to you, and the deadlines you need to work to. When you've finished your update, you need to log it back into the system so that a reviewing editor can check it before it gets published on legislation.gov.uk.
As well as allocating work, and providing you with the tools to carry out the required revisions, the editorial system provides a robust audit trail that captures what changes were made, who by, and when. It provides a record of the work completed by each editor.
Editorial.legislation.gov uk was built on the back of the ground-breaking technological platform that underpins legislation.gov.uk.