The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force on 2nd October 2000. It has been part of Scottish law since devolution.

The legislation has been brought about by the European Convention on Human Rights, which aims to protect rights to life and liberty.

This has an impact on everyone when it comes down to matters of privacy and freedom of expression. It is important to realise that the new legislation is still in its early days and so the full impact cannot be assessed until it has been tested in court.