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Government Publications and Hansard

Contents

House of Commons and House of Lords papers

House of Commons and House of Lords Papers form a distinct series within the parliamentary papers collection.

Each paper in the series is identified by a number with the prefix ‘HC’ or ‘HL’ and the parliamentary session in which it has been published. The Papers are numbered up from 1 in every parliamentary session. The main categories of papers you are likely to reference are reports of Select Committees, accounts and certain annual reports. They have all been published online from the 1997-98 session (House of Commons Information Office, 2010).

Include the URL and accessed date if the Paper is available online. Place of publication and publisher were included until documents were made available online under the terms of the Open Government Licence (OGL).

  • Authorship
  • (Year)
  • Title.
  • Place of Publication (if stated):
  • Publisher (if stated)
  • (Official number Parliamentary session).
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Examples:

Chilcot, J. (2016) Report of the Iraq Inquiry. Executive Summary. (HC 264 2016-17). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535407/The_Report_of_the_Iraq_Inquiry_-_Executive_Summary.pdf [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Francis, R. (2013) Report of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. London: The Stationery Office (HC 898 2012-13). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-of-the-mid-staffordshire-nhs-foundation-trust-public-inquiry [Accessed 4 January 2023].

House of Commons Education Committee (2013) School Partnerships and Co-operation. Volume 1: Report. London: The Stationery Office (HC 269 2013-14).

House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee (2022) In Our Hands: Behaviour change for climate and environmental goals. (HL 64 2022-23). Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/30146/documents/174873/default/ [Accessed 4 January 2023].

House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee (2015) The Resilience of the Electricity System. London: The Stationery Office Ltd (HL 121 2014-15). Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldselect/ldsctech/121/121.pdf [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Leveson, B. H. (2012) An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of The Press: Report. London: The Stationery Office (HC 780 2012-13). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leveson-inquiry-report-into-the-culture-practices-and-ethics-of-the-press [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Law Commission reports are all published as House of Commons Papers but also include their own unique identifier. They are all available online since 1995 on the Law Commission website. Follow the same advice as House of Commons Papers but also include the Law Com number. Follow the same style for Scottish Law Commission reports.

Examples:

Law Commission (2021) Modernising Communications Offences: A final report. (HC 547 2021-22). Law Com No 399. Available at: https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/reform-of-the-communications-offences/ [Accessed 14 December 2022].

Law Commission (1991) Landlord and Tenant: Distress for rent. London: HMSO (HC 138 1990-91). Law Com No 194.

Scottish Law Commission (2022) Report on Cohabitation. (SG/2022/202) Scot Law Com No 261. Available at: https://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/files/4916/6781/8178/Cohabitation_Report_and_draft_Bill.pdf [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Written and oral evidence is given to Select Committees which you may wish to cite but is not always published with the report. Use the format:

  • Author
  • (Year)
  • Written evidence.
  • In: Select Committee.
  • Title.
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Birmingham City University (2018) Written evidence (RES0059). In: House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. Responses from Universities on the Concordat. Available at: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/science-technology/Correspondence/Research-Integrity-letters.pdf [Accessed 20 August 2018].

Tcakucova, T., Kehoe, A. and Gee, M. (2021) Written evidence (ILG0010). In: House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. Initial Lessons from the Government’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/36643/pdf/ [Accessed 28 August 2021].

For oral evidence, include the day and month that the evidence was accessed:

  • Authorship
  • (Year)
  • Oral evidence,
  • Day and month.
  • In: Select Committee.
  • Title.
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Example:

Russell, S. (2023) Oral evidence, 15 June. In: House of Lords Artificial Intelligence in Weapons Systems Committee. Artificial Intelligence in Weapons Systems. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/13347/pdf/ [Accessed 23 November 2023].

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UK Government Command papers

A Command Paper is a UK Government paper presented to Parliament. The term Command is from the formula carried on the papers: "Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for ...by Command of His Majesty".

There have been seven series of Command papers, each of which has its own abbreviation. The current, seventh series is Cp, from 2019 onwards. Before this, Cm included papers from 1986 to 2018 (Cm 1 to Cm 9756) and Cmnd included papers from 1956 to Cmnd 9927 in 1986 (UK Parliament, 2023). From May 2005 onwards, all Command Papers are held on the UK Government website (House of Commons Information Office, 2009).

Include the URL and accessed date if the Paper is available online. Place of publication and publisher were included until Papers were made available online under the terms of the Open Government Licence (OGL).

  • Government Department(s)/Royal Commission/Chair
  • (Year)
  • Title.
  • (Official number).
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Examples:

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (2020) Government response to the Regulatory Proposals for Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) Security Consultation. Consultation outcome. (Cp213). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-regulatory-proposals-on-consumer-iot-security/outcome/government-response-to-the-regulatory-proposals-for-consumer-internet-of-things-iot-security-consultation [Accessed 14 December 2022].

Laming, L. (2003) The Victoria Climbié Inquiry: Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary for the Home Department by command of Her Majesty. London: The Stationery Office (Cm 5730). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/273183/5730.pdf [Accessed 14 December 2022].

Munro, E. (2011) The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final report. A child-centred system. London: The Stationery Office (Cm 8062). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175391/Munro-Review.pdf [Accessed 14 December 2022].

Royal Commission on Civil Liability and Compensation for Personal Injury (1978) Report: Vol.1. London: HMSO (Cmnd. 7054-I).

Omit the Command paper number if one is not given, where the UK Government is the author and where the source is available online.

Examples:

HM Government (2019) Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting guidance. Available at:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/850130/Env-reporting-guidance_inc_SECR_31March.pdf [Accessed 28 August 2020].

UK Government (2020) Types of British Nationality. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality [Accessed 28 August 2020].

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UK Government Departmental papers

Use the UK Government department as the corporate author. All departmental publications, which include policy papers and consultations, statistics, guidance, reports, government responses to inquiries and updates on progress with strategies, have been made available online since the mid-1990s. Occasionally you may need to use the surname of the chairman of an inquiry as the corporate author if this is not published as a House of Commons or House of Lords Paper or as a Command Paper.

  • Government Department(s)/Chair
  • (Year)
  • Title.
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Examples:

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (2018) Forging Our Future: Industrial strategy – the story so far. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/forging-our-future-industrial-strategy-the-story-so-far/forging-our-future-industrial-strategy-the-story-so-far [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Department of Health and Social Care (2022) Genome UK: 2022 to 2025 implementation plan for England. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genome-uk-2022-to-2025-implementation-plan-for-england [Accessed 4 January 2023].

Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and Employment (1999) Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. London: Stationery Office. 

Latham, S. M. (1994) Constructing the Team: The Latham report. London: HMSO.

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Select Committee Correspondence

All Select Committee correspondence is published online and made available to the public on the parliament.uk website. You do need to know the name of the Select Committee to be able to find the correspondence. The advice from the House of Commons Library is to use the Select Committee which ordered the publication as the corporate author.

  • Select Committee
  • (Year)
  • Title,
  • Date of correspondence.
  • Parliamentary Session.
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Human Rights (Joint Committee) (2023) Correspondence from Helen Whately, Minister of State for Care, on the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards, 5 April 2023. Session 2022-23. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/39330/documents/193093/default/ [Accessed 10 November 2023].

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European Union documents (not in OJ)

  • European Union Body
  • (Year)
  • Title
  • (Reference number).
  • Available at: URL
  • (Accessed date).

Examples:

Article 29 Working Party (2005) Working Document on Data Protection Issues Related to Intellectual Property Rights (WP104). Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/article-29/documentation/opinion-recommendation/files/2005/wp104_en.pdf (Accessed 21 August 2018).

European Commission (2016) Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (COM (2016) 593 Final). Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016PC0593&from=EN (Accessed 21 August 2018).

European Parliament (2018) Report on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, 29 June 2018 (COM(2016)0593 – C8-0383/2016 – 2016/0280(COD)). Available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A8-2018-0245+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN (Accessed 21 August 2018).

European Parliament (2018) Data retention rules on Article 13 of the proposed Directive on copyright in the digital single market. European Parliament: Written Answer, 2 July 2018, given by Ms Jourová on behalf of the Commission. Available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=E-2018-001848&language=EN (Accessed 21 August 2018).

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United Nations publications

Include the unique document reference numbers that identify both the United Nations body from which the document issues and the nature of the document.

After the first mention, abbreviate United Nations to UN; UN Security Council to UNSC; UN General Assembly to UNGA; and Resolution to Res.

Further advice is given as a frequently asked question on the UN web page. Use the format:

  • United Nations
  • (Year)
  • Title
  • (Document number).
  • Available at URL
  • [Accessed date].

Examples:

United Nations (2015) Transforming Our World: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development (United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/70/1). Available at: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3976972?ln=en [Accessed 4 July 2022].

United Nations (2022) Women in Development: Report of the Secretary General (United Nations General Assembly Document A/77/243). Available at: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3985592?ln=en [Accessed 8 September 2022].

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Hansard overview

Hansard provides the official report of all parliamentary debates and is online at http://hansard.parliament.uk/. As well as reports from the latest sittings of Parliament, the online material contains the House of Commons archive from 1988 and the House of Lords archive from 1995. The online content also includes historic debates from 1803.

The BCU Harvard style for referencing Hansard (apart from written questions and answers) conforms to the House of Commons Information Office Factsheet G17.

Hansard references (apart from written questions and answers) should NOT be included in your reference list as their citation contains the entire reference. Just include the word "Hansard" in italics followed by a comma then the reference detail.

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Hansard entries

  • HL/HC Deb
  • Day Month Year
  • vol Volume number
  • cColumn / ccColumns

Examples:

HC Deb 24 May 2005 vol 434 c661


HL Deb 20 July 2015 vol 764 cc899-901

In quoting very old Hansards it is usual to also include the series number:

HC Deb (4th series) 26 August 1907 vol 169 cc179-180

In-text:

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Hansard written statements

  • HC/HL Deb
  • Day Month Year
  • vol Volume number
  • cColumnWS / ccColumnsWS

Example:

HC Deb 19 July 2017 vol 627 c47WS

Most written ministerial statements are made in both Houses so the House of Commons statement is usually preferred:

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Hansard written questions and answers

The BCU Harvard style for referencing Hansard written questions and answers is based on the advice given by Debbie Cesvette, Executive Officer at the House of Commons in Cite Them Right (Pears and Shields, 2016: 51 and xix). Since 12 September 2014 written questions and answers have been published online so the Hansard column reference is no longer used. You must cite the HC or HL number so that references to written questions and answers since that date should be given in the following form.

  • Authorship
  • (Year)
  • Title.
  • UK Parliament: Written question / answer,
  • Date,
  • HC/HL Number.
  • Available at: URL
  • [Accessed date].

Unlike other types of Hansard reference, written questions and answers should be included in your reference list.

Mulholland, G. (2016) Radicalism. UK Parliament: Written question, 20 June, HC 41047. Available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-20/41047/ [Accessed 18 July 2016].

Bradley, K. (2016) Radicalism. UK Parliament: Written answer, 28 June, HC 41047. Available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-20/41047/ [Accessed 18 July 2016].

When citing them just use the normal BCU Harvard format:

(Bradley, 2016)

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Hansard entries from Westminster Hall

Since 1999, Westminster Hall debates have given MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. These debates take place away from the main debating chamber and are reported in Hansard.

  • HC/HL Deb
  • Day Month Year
  • vol Volume number
  • cColumnWH / ccColumnsWH

Example:

HC Deb 12 July 2017 vol 627 c159WH


HC Deb 19 July 2023 vol 736 c320WH - 346WH

In-text:

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Public Bill Committee entries

1. Standard entries

  • Bill Name Deb
  • Day Month Year
  • cColumn / ccColumns

Example:

Digital Economy Bill Deb 28 November 2016 cc1268-1368

Victims and Prisoners Bill Deb 11 July 2023 cc485 - 540

2. Abbreviated entries

  • PBC Deb
  • (Bill number)
  • Day Month Year
  • cColumn / ccColumns

Example:

PBC Deb (Bill 87) 28 November 2016 cc1268-1368


PBC Deb (Bill 351) 11 July 2023 cc485-540

When citing, just include the word "Hansard" in italics followed by a comma then the reference detail. The Bill number may be omitted if the context is obvious:

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Standing Committee entries

Standing Committee entries exist up to 2006.

  • SC Deb (A)
  • Day Month Year
  • cColumn / ccColumns

Example:

SC Deb (A) 13 June 1996 c301

Hansard Standing Committee entries should not be included in your reference list as their citation contains the entire reference. Just include the word "Hansard" in italics in your text followed by a comma then the reference detail:

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