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The Human Rights Act: Guidance

Introduction

The Human Rights Act is one of the most significant and exciting pieces of legislation passed in the United Kingdom. It marks a change in the constitutional relationship between citizens and the state. The Human Rights Act makes rights from the European Convention on Human Rights into a form of higher law in the United Kingdom.

Successive governments have sought to comply with these rights since the Convention was first agreed some fifty years ago. But now all state bodies, including the courts and agencies such as the police, local authorities, hospitals and prisons and other bodies carrying out public functions must act in accordance with the Convention rights when making decisions which affect you. If they interfere with these rights, they will have to be able to justify that interference in accordance with the new law.

Guidance

The Home Office Human Rights Unit provides a range of guidance explaining the Human Rights Act and aimed at a variety of audiences. Some of the documents listed below are in pdf format. To read them you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat reader

For the public

• Introduction    (A5, 11 pages – pdf file size 322Kb)

• Study Guide   Edition 1 - (A4, 36 pages - pdf file size 585Kb)

• Study Guide   Edition 2 - (A4, 43 pages - pdf file size 361Kb)

Hard copies of the study guide can be obtained by filling in the order form and emailing it to humanrights@lcdhq.gsi.gov.uk.

For public authorities

• Introduction – Putting rights into public service

• Core Guidance – A New Era of Rights & Responsibilities

• Task Force Newsletter – Issue 1   ( pdf file size 92Kb)

• Task Force Newsletter – Issue 2    ( pdf file size 199Kb)

• Task Force Newsletter - Issue 3  ( pdf file size 49Kb)

For Civil Servants

• The Human Rights Act 1998, Guidance for Departments

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 27 November 1998

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 26 May 1999

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 29 November 1999

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 19 March 2000

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 8 December 2000

• Circular letter to Permanent Secretaries dated 9 April 2001

For the private and voluntary sectors

• Introduction   (A4, poster, pdf file size 472Kb)

• The Convention Rights   (A4, poster, pdf file size 219Kb)

 

The Human Rights Unit

The Human Rights Unit's main responsibility is to ensure the successful implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998, which incorporates into UK law rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. The Unit also maintains and develops the UK's position under various Human Rights Treaties.

Visit the Human Rights Unit’s webpages for contact details and more information.

Note that in May 2001 the Human Rights Unit moved from the Home Office to the Lord Chancellor's Department

Last update: Monday, November 06, 2006