Parliamentary Debates

Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) - House of Commons

Hansard only dates from 1803; all earlier debates are unofficial, collected from various private sources. Also, Hansard was not a complete record of all debates until it became the Official Report in 1909; it was selective. Information on the history, operation and citation of Hansard can be found in the House of Commons Information Office factsheet, The Official Report.

Debates not mentioned here are not available electronically. They may be available in large reference libraries, or can be consulted in the Parliamentary Archives searchroom. See the Parliamentary Archives FAQ for more information on finding debates.

Images of Debates, 1066-1803

Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England at Oxford Digital Library

Text of Debates, 1559-1601

Sir Simonds d'Ewes's Journals of all the Parliaments at British History Online

Text of Debates, 1589-1601

Townshend's Historical Collections at British History Online

Text of Commons debates, 1653-1659

Burton's Parliamentary Diary at British History Online

Text of Commons debates, 1660-1739

Chandler's History and Proceedings at British History Online

Text of Commons debates, 1660-1739

Chandler's History and Proceedings at subscription service House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, widely available in universities and other large reference libraries

Text of Commons Debates, 1667-1694

Grey's Debates at British History Online

Images of Debates, 1774-1805

Parliamentary Register at the subscription service House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, widely available in universities and other large reference libraries

Hansard, 1803-2004 (Commons and Lords)

Historic Hansard 1803-2004
This is a test site using historic data, sponsored by Parliament, although not part of the Parliament website. Usage and feedback is welcomed.

Parliament website: XML text as zipped files. These files are available to anyone for development purposes.

Text of House of Commons Hansard, November 1988 to present (except Standing/General Committee Hansard)

Commons Hansard 1998 to present (excluding Standing Committees)

Text of House of Commons Standing/General Committee Hansard

Standing / General Committee Hansard: 1997-98 to present
Links to Debates, including Membership details where appropriate, in other House of Commons Standing Committees and General Comittees

Standing / General Committee Hansard: XML files 1948-2005
These xml files are available to anyone for development purposes