Official transcripts
What is Hansard?
Short answer
- UK rolling Hansard
- Online within three hours of the words being spoken 1
- UK daily part
- Published the next morning 1
- Australia proof Hansard
- Within 3 hours of Parliament finishing for the day 3
- Australia official Hansard
- Around 2 weeks after each sitting week 3
- British Columbia draft (Blues)
- Complete version usually an hour after adjournment 4
Where the name comes from
The Parliament of South Africa says the name comes from an English printer, L Hansard (1752 to 1828), and his descendants, who compiled the reports until 1889 5. Several parliaments that follow Westminster practice use the name for their official report 1,3 5.
What substantially verbatim means
UK Hansard calls itself a substantially verbatim record of what Members said, with repetitions and obvious mistakes removed 1. In evidence to a Commons committee in September 2022, the Clerk of the House said Hansard does not omit, or insert, content that would alter the meaning of what has been said 2.
The British Columbia legislature in Canada says its Standing Order 120 requires a substantially verbatim report. It follows UK practice by omitting repetitions and redundancies and correcting obvious mistakes, but keeps anything that adds to the meaning or illustrates the argument 4.
Australia's Parliamentary Education Office says Hansard is not a word-for-word record. Editors check spelling, grammar and punctuation and remove vocal tics, but the meaning of the speech cannot be changed 3.
How fast Hansard appears
| Parliament | First version | Later version |
|---|---|---|
| UK Parliament | Rolling Hansard in parts, within three hours of speaking 1 | Daily part the next morning, with print column numbers 1 |
| Australia | Proof within 3 hours of the day's sitting ending 3 | Official Hansard around 2 weeks after each sitting week 3 |
| British Columbia, Canada | Blues posted in parts from about an hour after the sitting begins 4 | Revised Blues after more proofreading and review 4 |
| Kenya National Assembly | Listed by sitting date, with morning and afternoon sittings apart 6 | PDF transcript with a link to the plenary video 6 |
What Hansard contains
UK Hansard records the decisions made during sittings and how Members voted in divisions 1. Australian Hansard covers the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Federation Chamber and committee hearings 3. It includes division results, petition text, written answers to questions and notable actions such as interruptions 3.
The Kenyan Parliament website links each Hansard to a PDF transcript and a video of the plenary 6. A filter lets readers pick a parliamentary term such as the 13th Parliament (2022 to 2027) 6.
Searching Hansard
- UK: browse by sitting, debate, division and Member. Historical content cannot yet be searched by Member 1.
- UK: most records before 2010 were scanned from printed bound volumes and may contain errors 1.
- South Africa: the Hansard listing shows name, House, language, date and type 5.
- Kenya: entries are listed by sitting date, most recent first, with an archive link 6.
Corrections to Hansard
House of Commons Hansard includes corrections from Ministers and Members 1. Agreed ministerial corrections appear in a Ministerial Corrections section on the next sitting day, with a link added at the original text 2. In the Scottish Parliament, only the person whose words were reported can ask for a review, within 20 working days of publication 7.
Common questions
Is Hansard a word-for-word transcript?
Not exactly. UK and South African Hansard are substantially verbatim, with repetitions removed and obvious mistakes corrected 1,5.
How soon is UK Hansard online?
Rolling Hansard shows a Member's words within three hours of speaking. The complete daily part follows the next morning 1.
Can an MP change what Hansard says?
Only within limits. The Commons Clerk said Hansard does not insert content that would alter the meaning of what was said 2. Australian members cannot alter the meaning of a speech 3.
What are the Blues?
In British Columbia, the Blues are the preliminary draft transcripts of each sitting, named after the blue paper they were once printed on 4.
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
- UK Parliament Hansard: About Hansard (the Official Report)
- UK Parliament: Written evidence submitted by the Clerk of the House of Commons (CTR 06) (September 2022)
- Parliamentary Education Office (Australia): Hansard
- Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Hansard Publications and Guidelines for Corrections by Members
- Parliament of South Africa: Hansard
- The Kenyan Parliament Website: Hansard
- Scottish Parliament: Corrections and changes to the Official Report
Related
- How parliaments correct the official record
Who may correct the official report in the UK, Scotland, Australia, Canada, the US House, Europe and India, what may change and by when.
- Verbatim records and summary records
The difference between verbatim, substantially verbatim and summary records, and which kind of official record supports a direct quote.
- 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 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.