Official and governmental information, UK

Here are some selected links you might like to try.

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British Standards Institution (BSI)
The British Standards Institution is now the world's leading standards and quality services organisation. Formed in 1901 and incorporated under Royal Charter in 1929, BSI is the oldest national standards- making body in the world.
http://www.bsigroup.com/|

BSI British Standards Draft Review System
The Draft Review system gives the public an easy way to access drafts of British Standards (Drafts for Public Comment – DPC) and Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) in order to give feedback before full publication.
http://drafts.bsigroup.com/|

Communities and Local Government
The Communities and Local Government has responsibility for local government, social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal, plus responsibility for communities, race, faith, and equalities. The department issues the Approved Documents to the Building Regulations
http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/|

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
The Department has responsibility for productivity, business relations, energy, competition and consumers.
http://www.bis.gov.uk/|

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Includes information on all areas that are DCMS's responsibility, including listed buildings and other aspects of the built heritage.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/|

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Includes information on all areas that are DEFRA's responsibility, including the environment, agriculture and sustainable development.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/|

Department for Transport
UK government department with responsibility for transport issues.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/|

Directgov
Directgov is the latest incarnation of the UK government's attempt to provide a facility to point to all UK government services on the internet. As well as A-Z lists of central and local government departments, there are a considerable number of themed collections of information, making it easier to find what you need.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm|

info4local
Intended for local authorities, but free to use for everyone else, the Government site provides a quick and easy way to find relevant information on the web sites of central government departments and agencies. Many full text documents are included, and summaries of others.
http://www.info4local.gov.uk/|

Land Registry
Details of individual properties in England and Wales can be obtained from a database of over 18 million registered records. Searching is free but documents cost £2 each to download.
http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/wps/portal/Property_Search|

Legislation.gov.uk
Legislation.gov.uk carries all UK legislation from 1988 to the present and most pre-1988 primary legislation, with their accompanying explanatory documents.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/|

Local Government Association
Provides information on the major issues affecting local government, details of current LGA activities and policies, and provides enhanced distribution of LGA papers.
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1|

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)
MLA is a strategic agency working with and for museums, archives and libraries in the UK.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/home|

National Archives
Formed from the merger of the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission, the National Archive has one of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning 1000 years of British history, from Domesday Book to government papers recently released to the public. Certain documents are available online. The National Archives also advises people on the location of non-public records and manuscripts relating to British history.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/|

National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people, makes laws for Wales and holds the Welsh government to account.
http://www.assemblywales.org/|

National Statistics
This site contains the latest comprehensive range of official UK statistics and information about statistics as well providing free access to a selection of recently released publications in downloadable PDF format.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html|

Neighbourhood Statistics
Detailed demographic data from the 2001 UK census, covering 8,000 electoral wards and 175,000 small local areas.
http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/|

Northern Ireland Assembly
Information on and from the Assembly, including the full text of Northern Irish legislation.
http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/|

Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
NIEA is the largest Agency within the Department of the Environment. It takes the lead in advising on, and in implementing, the Government's environmental policy and strategy in Northern Ireland, and carries out a range of activities, which promote the Government's key themes of sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change.
http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/|

Office of Government Commerce
OGC has been set up to lead a wide-ranging programme to modernise procurement in government, and deliver substantial value for money improvements. It includes all the information formerly available from the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and the Property Advisors to the Civil Estate (PACE).
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/|

Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey is the UK's national mapping agency. It covers the production, maintenance and marketing of a wide range of maps, computer data and other geographical information for business, leisure, educational and administrative use.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/|

Planning, building and the environment: Building Regulations
Communities and Local Government deals with Building Regulations, which ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings by providing functional requirements for building design and construction. The regulations also promote energy efficiency in buildings and contribute to meeting the needs of disabled people.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/buildingregulations/|

Public Architecture
Provided by the Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities, the site is a one-stop resource for research into public architecture, including sections on projects, practices, events and recruitment.
http://www.publicarchitecture.co.uk/|

Public Bodies
This site provides information about Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), NHS bodies and public corporations, their purpose, history and organisation.
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/public-bodies.aspx|

Scottish Government
Includes news, publications details, and the full text of Scottish legislation.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Home|

Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
The Valuation Office Agency is an executive agency of the Inland Revenue. The site includes information and FAQs on council tax, business rates, etc. and news and publications details.
http://www.voa.gov.uk/|

Welsh Assembly Government
Includes consultation papers, Welsh legislation, press releases and news relating to Wales.
http://wales.gov.uk/splash?orig=/|

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