UK Act of Parliament 1984 c. 14 United Kingdom

Anatomy Act 1984

Read the Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Enforced by
Scottish Government
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Imprisonment 1 of 4 obligations carry imprisonment (3 months). 3 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Any Person3

Plus 1 duty on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Any Person — also bound by 2684 other Acts

What it requires

Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

s.002 Control of examinations and possession. (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Do not perform anatomical examinations or possess specimens unless all legal conditions are metAny Person
s.005 Control of possession after examination. (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Keep records of bodies or parts held under an anatomical licenceAny Person
s.006 Control of public display Regulated
  • Do not publicly display anatomical items without proper authorisation; keep records if licensedAny Person
s.012 Finance. (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • No business obligations under this sectionCrown / Minister / Government department
15 other provisions — procedural and definitional
s.001 Definitions, and scope of Act. (opens in a new tab)
s.003 Licences. (opens in a new tab)
s.004 Lawful examinations. (opens in a new tab)
s.004 Lawful examinations: imported bodies
s.004 Lawful examinations: additional provision
s.006 Lawful possession. (opens in a new tab)
s.007 Licences: general provisions. (opens in a new tab)
s.007 Appeal to sheriff principal against licence decision
s.008 Regulations. (opens in a new tab)
s.008 Code of practice
s.009 Inspectors of anatomy. (opens in a new tab)
s.010 Power to inspect records and premises. (opens in a new tab)
s.011 Offences. (opens in a new tab)
s.011 Interpretation
s.013 Short title, (opens in a new tab)

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

1 more guide that reference this instrument
Human tissue authorisation in Scotland: post-mortems, donation and anatomy licences

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.