About Hansard

Hansard provides a clear and unbiased record of the proceedings of the House of Commons, House of Lords and Standing Committees. The report of the day's sittings, which can go on until 1.00 or 2.00am in the morning is on Member's breakfast tables the next day without fail.

The Official Record can be traced back to 1803 when reporters were first allocated seats in the public gallery of the House of Commons. In 1811 the process was taken over by Thomas Hansard - the printer to the House of Commons and whose name was adopted for official reports throughout the world. Hansard is a full report, in the first person, of all speakers although it does not always report every word said by a Member. Members are not allowed to make alterations of substance or add anything to their speeches.

How is Hansard recorded in the Houses?

Members’ words are recorded by Hansard reporters and then edited to remove repetitions and obvious mistakes but without taking away from the meaning. The report is then published the next day in printed and online formats (or the following Monday for meetings on a Friday). The Commons and Lords have separate reports.

The text of Daily Debates in the Commons and Lords is published the following morning in hard copy at 7.30am and online by 6am. Weekly and bound final versions follow, proofread to eliminate any errors that may have occurred in the original.

How is Hansard produced in such a short time?

The Parliamentary Hansard team send a final PDF file to TSO's Parliamentary Press for printing. State-of-the-art computer systems speedily manufacture plates for the litho and electronic presses, which are used to cope with the severely fluctuating demand.

Once the Hansard data is on the press, skilled operators check on-the-spot to guarantee quality and accuracy. High speed, high capacity finishing equipment assures that strict deadlines are met and enables early morning van services to deliver to the House to make sure copies of Hansard are on Member's tables in time for breakfast.

Hansard is published in daily, weekly and bound volume format, a volume index is available fortnightly for the House of Commons. Bound Volumes are the authoritative and corrected version and can be referred to in legal situations. To search for an individual edition of Hansard, use the advanced search facility located at the top of this page.

Hansard Annual Subscriptions

Please see below for details of the different types of Hansard subscription that are available. All subscriptions are on an annual basis. Where subscription titles are shown as links, please click for more information.

Subscription title		Subscription number	Frequency	Price	Buy now
Daily Hansard - House of Commons Parliamentary Debates		7002001	Daily (when Parliament is in session)	£865.00
Weekly Hansard - House of Commons Parliamentary Debates		7002002	Weekly (when Parliament is in session)	£440.00
Daily Hansard - House of Lords Parliamentary Debates		7002004	Daily (when the House is in session)	£525.00
Weekly Hansard - House of Lords Parliamentary Debates		7002005	Weekly (when Parliament is in session)	£255.00
House of Lords Business		7002008	Four or Five per week (when Parliament is in session)	£675.00
House of Lords Business - Thursday, delivered Friday		7002010	Weekly (when Parliament is in session)	£145.00

House of Commons Hansard: Centenary Volume 1909-2009 - Great Speeches from 100 Years

A collection of memorable and significant House of Commons speeches marking great moments in British Parliamentary history, 'House of Commons Hansard: Centenary Volume 1909-2009 - Great Speeches from 100 Years' is essential reading for all those interested in the UK's adversarial parliamentary politics.

This publication details, for the first time ever, prolific and influential speeches aired in the House of Commons from leading political figures of the last 100 years.

House of Commons Hansard: Centenary Volume 1909-2009 - Great Speeches from 100 Years

• Published: 02 Apr 2009
• ISBN: 9780118404631
• Price: £35.00