Organisation unveils two new digital services following ‘a monumental piece of work’

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The National Archives has launched two new online services to enable the public to access all legislation related to the UK’s impending exit from the European Union.

From today, the National Archives will operate an online database of all pieces of EU legislation relevant to the UK. This will be kept updated until Brexit day, at which point “it will be frozen and act as a permanent historical record of the relevant EU documents on our exit from the EU”, according to a written parliamentary statement from James Cleverly, a junior minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union. This record will be available for the public to search in perpetuity.

The archives has also launched an updated version of its legislation.gov.uk website. The site will now include information on European laws that are set to be passed into UK statute books after the country leaves the EU. The addition of this data will “allow the public to locate the law as it applies to them post-exit”, Cleverly said.

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As well as details of retained laws, the minister said that the site will also provide information on “corrections made by UK statutory instruments for EU exit and will show the ‘as amended’ UK-applicable versions of the texts”.

In a press release, he added: “The government is making sure that the UK is ready to leave the EU in good order. That’s exactly what The National Archives is doing with this monumental piece of work. This resource provides an invaluable legal reference which gives certainty, and clarity to the public, and especially to businesses who are making preparations for Brexit.”

National Archives chief executive Jeff James said: “Our aim is to ensure we have both a comprehensive, permanent record of the law at EU exit, and, with legislation.gov.uk to provide an ongoing service now and for the future. As legislation changes over time, legislation.gov.uk offers great value, aiding legal certainty for all those who are seeking to understand what the law is and will be post-exit.”