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| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to prohibit the development, production, acquisition and possession of certain biological agents and toxins and of biological weapons. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1974 c. 6 |
| Introduced by | Robert Carr (Commons) |
| Territorial extent |
|
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 8 February 1974 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Biological Weapons Act 1974 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, fromlegislation.gov.uk. | |
TheBiological Weapons Act 1974 (c. 6) is anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom, passed during the reign ofQueen Elizabeth II on 8 February 1974, with thelong title "An Act to prohibit the development, production, acquisition and possession of certainbiological agents andtoxins and ofbiological weapons."[1][2]
The act makes illegal the development, production, acquisition or retainment ofbiological weapons, as well as anyweapon delivery systems for the deployment of biological weapons. It also forbade the exchange between people of biological weapons and established theprison sentence for committing the crimes mentioned in the Act; a maximum sentence oflife imprisonment.
The act extends to anyone within the United Kingdom, orBritishcitizens abroad, however the citizen must be within the United Kingdom, theIsle of Man or any of theBritish colonies to bearrested for the offense.
It also givesCustoms and Excise officers the power to seize biological weapons coming in or out of the United Kingdom, or British citizens in other countries transporting biological weaponry fordeportation to the UK.
A fourth section says that anyone may be charged (as with other crimes) withaiding and abetting orconspiring to transport biological weapons.
The act extends to the entire United Kingdom.
The full text ofBiological Weapons Act 1974 at Wikisource | Thislegislation in theUnited Kingdom, or its constituent jurisdictions, article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
