Checking a quote

Draft, proof and final versions of the official record

Last checked 7 November 2026 · 8 sources

Short answer

Most official records exist in more than one version. Canada's House of Commons calls its unedited transcript the blues, a preliminary copy not to be quoted from during debate ¹. Kenya lets Members correct the draft verbatim report of their own words ². UK select committee transcripts appear a few days after a hearing and witnesses send corrections in a separate note ⁴. The US Congressional Record has a daily edition with H, S, E and D page prefixes that the bound edition drops ⁶.

Canada: Blues are a preliminary copy, not to be quoted from during debate ¹
Kenya: Members may correct the draft verbatim report, not its substance ²
UK Commons, minor reporting errors: Corrected silently in the Bound Volume and online when it is published, as described in 2007 ⁵
UK select committees: Transcript published a few days after the hearing ⁴
US Congressional Record: Daily edition page prefixes H, S, E and D. No letters in the bound edition ⁶
England and Wales judgments: Draft judgments are confidential before hand-down ⁸

Why versions matter

A quote can be checked against the wrong version. A draft may contain errors the editors later fix, and a final version may differ from what circulated first. The safest practice is to name the version used, give its date, and check the final text when it exists.

The differences are usually small. Rules in most bodies allow corrections of reporting errors but not changes to the meaning of what was said ^1,2. They can still matter when a single word is disputed.

Canada: the blues

The unedited in extenso transcriptions of the House of Commons Debates are known as the blues, after the blue paper once used ¹. They go to each Member who spoke, to the Press Gallery and to party offices for Question Period ¹. The blues are a preliminary copy and are not to be quoted from during debate ¹.

Members may suggest corrections of errors and minor alterations, and editors decide whether to accept them. A blue not returned by the deadline is treated as having no changes ¹. The Debates then appear online within several hours of the adjournment of the House ¹.

Kenya: draft verbatim reports and certified copies

Kenya's National Assembly Standing Order 248 requires a verbatim report of House proceedings within 48 hours ². Every Member may correct the draft verbatim report of their contribution, but not so as to alter the substance of what they said, and the Speaker settles any doubt about the record ².

A 2015 electronic Senate Hansard report states on each page that the electronic version is for information purposes only and that a certified version can be obtained from the Hansard Editor ³.

United Kingdom: committee transcripts and the Bound Volume

House of Commons guidance for witnesses says a transcript of oral evidence is published on the committee's website a few days after the hearing ⁴. A witness who needs to correct the transcript so that the final record is accurate and complete should send a separate note ⁴.

For the Chamber, the 2007 Procedure Committee report described minor errors that do not alter meaning, normally made by the Official Report. These were corrected silently in the Bound Volume, and the website version was altered when the Bound Volume was published ⁵.

United States: daily and bound Congressional Record

The Congressional Record is published daily when Congress is in session ⁷. In the daily edition, House pages carry an H, Senate pages an S, Extensions of Remarks an E and the Daily Digest a D ⁶. There are no letter designations in the final hardbound version ⁶.

GovInfo notes that the date of a daily issue refers to the date the proceedings were recorded, not necessarily the date of delivery ⁷. The Bound Congressional Record and its index are separate collections on GovInfo ⁷.

Body	Early version	Final version
House of Commons of Canada ¹	Blues ¹	Debates, then revised bound compilation at session end ¹
Kenya National Assembly ²	Draft verbatim report ²	Verbatim report ². Senate e-Hansard points to a certified copy from the Hansard Editor ³
UK Commons select committees ⁴	Transcript published a few days after the hearing ⁴	Final record with corrections sent by separate note ⁴
US Congress ⁶	Daily edition with H, S, E, D pages ⁶	Bound edition without letter prefixes ⁶
England and Wales courts ⁸	Confidential draft judgment ⁸	Judgment handed down ⁸

Courts: draft judgments

Courts use drafts too. In England and Wales, Practice Direction 40E provides for draft reserved judgments to go to legal representatives in confidence before hand-down ⁸. Neither the draft nor its substance may be disclosed to any other person or used in the public domain before the judgment is handed down ⁸. A text that circulates before hand-down is not the court's judgment.

Common questions

Can you quote the blues in Canada?

The blues are a preliminary copy and are not to be quoted from during debate in the House ¹. The Debates are the published record.

Which version of the Congressional Record should be cited?

Both exist. Daily pages carry H, S, E or D prefixes and the bound edition has none, so a citation should say which edition it uses ⁶.

Are UK committee transcripts final when first published?

They are published a few days after the hearing, and witnesses may send corrections in a separate note for the final record ⁴.

Is the online Kenyan Hansard the certified version?

The electronic Senate Hansard says it is for information purposes only and that a certified version comes from the Hansard Editor ³.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@saidincontext.com.

Sources

How to check a quote against the official record
A method for checking an official's words against Hansard, the Congressional Record, UN meeting records and briefing transcripts.
The House of Commons Debates in Canada
How Canada's federal Hansard is made, the blues, what Members may correct, language rules, legal protection for extracts and the ParlVU video record.
Hansard in the Parliament of Kenya
Kenya National Assembly rules on Hansard: 48 and 72 hour deadlines, Member corrections, the Speaker's role, secret matters and certified copies.
The Congressional Record explained
How the US Congressional Record is made, its four parts, how members revise and extend remarks, and where committee hearing transcripts are published.
Correcting court transcripts and judgments
How US federal transcripts are certified, redacted and corrected on appeal, and how England, Wales and Australia handle judgments and transcripts.
Committee hearing transcripts compared
When committee hearing transcripts are published, who can correct them and what stays private, in the US Congress, UK Commons, Canada, Kenya and Australia.