Where can I find Hansard references?

Help using the search

House of Commons and House of Lords.
Date – by default, your search will show results from the last five years.
View all years – broaden your search to include all the years that the Hansard records cover.

Is Hansard an archive?

Read debates from the Commons Chamber and Westminster Hall, Public Bill and General Committees, from November 1988 to March 2016. This is now an archive and the latest debates can be found in Hansard.

Is Hansard available online?

The text of many parliamentary debates (also known as Hansard or the Official Report) can be accessed online for free, or via paid subscription services.

How do you cite the Hansard?

APA Referencing Guide — Hansard

Organisation(s)/ author(s) or speaker. ( followed by a full stop OR family name, comma followed by initials, with full stop and space after each initial)
(Date of publication). ( in round brackets, followed by full stop)
Title (in italics)
[Hansard]. (
(Vol.
URL.

Is Hansard a primary source?

Primary sources include: Government records – Parliamentary proceedings (Hansard), bills, acts, treaties, census data, court transcripts.

How long does Hansard take?

A Hansard editor usually takes 30 to 45 minutes to edit a 5-minute turn. Editors check spelling, grammar and punctuation, and edit out mistakes and vocal tics like ‘um’ and ‘ah’. They use reference and style guides to ensure consistency.

What does the Hansard do?

Hansard Forms To provide an accurate, substantially verbatim account of the proceedings of the parliament and its committees which, while usually correcting obvious mistakes, neither adds to nor detracts from the meaning of the speech or the illustration of the argument.