Legislation

Cite an Act by short title and year, with no comma before the year and no italics (r 2.4.1). In a footnote, a comma after the year introduces the pinpoint. Add a jurisdiction tag in brackets only when your work discusses several jurisdictions.

Short Title Year, s 0.

For older Acts, the regnal year and chapter number in brackets help the reader find them (r 2.4.3).

A UK Bill cites its House, session and running number — square-bracketed for the Commons, bare for the Lords (r 2.4.5). Explanatory notes prefix the statute with ‘Explanatory Notes to the …’ and pinpoint by paragraph (r 2.4.4).

Each devolved legislature numbers its Acts in a lowercase series after the year: asc or dsc for Senedd Cymru, anaw for the former Assembly, nawm for pre-2011 Measures, asp for the Scottish Parliament (rr 2.4.6–2.4.7). Northern Ireland puts its tag between title and year: (NI) for the old Parliament, (Northern Ireland) for the Assembly (r 2.4.8).

Direct EU legislation assimilated into UK law adds ‘Assimilated’ before the title, replaces the OJ reference with any amending SI, and can define a short form (r 2.4.9).