About this website
This website is managed by The National Archives on behalf of HM Government. Publishing all UK legislation is a core part of the remit of the Keeper of Public Records (in his capacity as the King’s Printer of Acts of Parliament and Government Printer of Northern Ireland) and the King’s Printer for Scotland.
The original (as enacted) and revised versions of legislation on Legislation.gov.uk are published by and under the authority of the Controller of HMSO (in his capacity as The King's Printer of Acts of Parliament, and Government Printer of Northern Ireland) and the King's Printer for Scotland.
The revised versions of legislation held on this site are maintained by the legislation editorial team at The National Archives and the staff of the Northern Ireland Statutory Publications Office – part of the Office of the Legislative Counsel in Northern Ireland within The Executive Office.
The Office of the King's Printer for Scotland (OKPS) provides access to Acts of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish statutory instruments and a range of other legislation applying to Scotland. It also delivers a range of services to the public, information industry and government relating to the re-use of information created by the Scottish Government, the devolved government for Scotland. The King's Printer for Scotland, who is appointed under section 92 of the Scotland Act 1998, reports to the Scottish Ministers.
About Us
The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK government. We are a centre of expertise in every aspect of creating, storing, using and managing official information. We are a non-ministerial department of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
- As the official government archive for England, Wales and the United Kingdom, we hold over 1,000 years of the nation's records for everyone to discover and use.
- We work with 250 government and public sector bodies, helping them to manage and use information more effectively.
- We promote the re-use of public sector information and regulate the information-trading activities of organisations that create and collect public sector information.
- We manage Crown copyright.
- We provide leadership, support and guidance to the wider archive sector in England and Wales.
We preserve the UK public record, and make it accessible. Our expert advice and guidance help members of the public and researchers of all kinds to study the information held in our collection, and to explore the history of our nation and their own ancestors. At the same time, we champion wider access to information generated by the public sector, so that it can be shared and re-used by citizens, community groups and businesses.
The National Archives is also responsible for The Gazette, the UK’s official public record, which is comprised of three publications: The London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazette. The Gazette is managed by The Stationery Office, under the superintendence of The National Archives. Many notices placed in The Gazette are required by law, but some are published because it is deemed to be in the public’s interest that the information is in the public domain. The Gazette is often cited in legislation, can provide notification of events that trigger legislation commencement, and is considered by the courts and other legal organisations to be the most effective portal to achieve this. See the full list of notices that appear in The Gazette by notice code.
His Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) was founded in 1786. It is the holder of Crown copyright and has been the official printer and publisher of all Acts of Parliament since 1889.
Between 2003 and 2006, HMSO was one of four government bodies that came together to form The National Archives, joining with the Public Record Office, the Office of Public Sector Information and the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. Each of these organisations specialised in different aspects of managing important information.
Today the National Archives brings together the skills and specialisms needed in our digital world for managing and preserving government information past, present and future – and for making it accessible to its users.
