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Do you report every word spoken by Members of Parliament?
Can the public buy copies of Hansard?
What connection do you have with the Hansard Society?
How soon after a debate is Hansard available?
Are you part of the Government or the Civil Service?
How can we access Hansard on the internet?
Do you report every word spoken by Members of Parliament?
No, Hansard produces edited verbatim reports in accordance with our terms of reference set out under “Erskine May ”:
“a full report, in the first person, of all speakers alike, a full report being defined as one 'which, though not strictly verbatim, is substantially the verbatim report, with repetitions and redundancies omitted and with obvious mistakes corrected, but which on the other hand leaves out nothing that adds to the meaning of the speech or illustrates the argumen”
Can the public buy copies of Hansard?
Yes, the Official Report is sold to the public by The Stationery Office and from the Parliamentary Bookshop in Whitehall. Most large public libraries stock Hansard and the House of Commons Public Information Office can advise in which libraries in Britain and Ireland it can be consulted.
What connection do you have with the Hansard Society?
No official connection. The Hansard Society was so named because its founder believed that, in order to promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary proceedings, especially in schools, everyone should have the opportunity to read the Hansard report of parliamentary debates.
How soon after a debate is Hansard available?
Everything that is said in the Chamber up to about 1 am is printed overnight and the report is available by 8 am the next morning. It is available on the internet from about the same time.
Standing Committee Hansards are generally available the day after the Committee sitting. In busy times, that is not always possible, but the aim is to publish them before the next sitting day. Standing Committee Hansards published in the morning are available on the internet by 12.30 pm that day. Those published in the afternoon are available on the internet an hour after publication.
Are you part of the Government or the Civil Service?
No, Hansard is a department of the House of Commons and independent of the Government and the Civil Service.
How can we access Hansard on the internet?
Just return to the Home Page and choose “Hansard Publications” from the left-hand menu.
Do you have someone present in the Chamber all the time, or do you watch the proceedings on a television screen?
There are two reporters present in the Chamber throughout each sitting. They sit in the Reporters Gallery and directly above the Speaker’s Chair. During Question Time and statements, a Managing Editor is also in the Chamber.
