Legal background
The current legislation governing arbitration in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, is primarily the 1996 Act. By section 99 of the 1996 Act, Part II of the Arbitration Act 1950 continues to apply to the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards under the Geneva Convention 1923. However, for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, almost all countries have signed up instead to the later New York Convention 1958. Part III of the 1996 Act gives effect to the New York Convention. Investor-state arbitrations which fall under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention) are separately governed by the Arbitration (International Investment Disputes) Act 1966. The Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010 governs arbitration in Scotland.