Deposited papers are placed in the Commons or Lords libraries by a government minister, the Speaker of the Commons or the Lord Speaker.
Deposited papers are not presented or laid formally before Parliament. Members of the public can view deposited papers online or receive copies of the papers by writing to the House of Commons Information Office.
Why are deposited papers needed?
A minister will deposit material in both libraries in response to requests for information by MPs or Members of the Lords in the form of parliamentary questions or requests during debates. This means specific information can be made available to Parliament without the need to publish it formally.
What kind of information is deposited?
The type of information in deposited papers can include:
Deposited papers are held in a joint series by the libraries of both Houses as a set and are numbered chronologically within each calendar year.
Backbench MPs may not deposit items in this series; apart from government ministers, only the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Speaker and MPs acting on behalf of bodies such as the Church Commissioners or the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, may do so.
How can I view deposited papers?
Deposited papers are public documents. Papers deposited from November 2007 are available to download:
Deposited papers database
If a particular deposit is not available electronically, you should write to the House of Commons Information Office, who will make a hard copy available.
How does an MP or Member of the Lords get a deposited paper?
Library staff can email copies of deposited papers on request. MPs and Lords (or their staff) can also ask for a printed copy to be made available in the Libraries. Deposited papers are all indexed on an internal database used by the libraries, which includes links to the full text of the document.
Is there an archive of deposited papers?
The series of deposited papers began in 1832. Older items from the set can be viewed by contacting the Parliamentary Archives.