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- As primary source materials, the parliamentary
papers are unsurpassed. They illustrate the issues of the day, government
policy and contemporary thought. The content stretches from domestic concerns
to foreign relations, from statistics to fiery speeches. Recording British
history from the Middle Ages to the electronic era, these records also
touch on the vast expanse of the British empire and diplomatic relations
with all the major world powers. Best of all, nearly all the records are
- Accounts and
Papers - Miscellaneous category of sessional papers which includes
treaties and international agreements, financial and statistical reports.
Public legislation placed before the Parliament. Private bills relating
to personal affairs, such as divorce, are not part of the sessional papers.
- Command Papers- A category of sessional
papers that do not originate in Parliament, but are presented to it, "by
command of His or Her Majesty".
Record of what is said in Parliament. Often called Hansards after the first
- Diaries - Personal narratives
of parliamentary speeches and proceedings
- Journals - Official account of the proceedings of Parliament.
- Parliamentary Papers - Loosely
refers to all the records of Parliament, or more specifically to only the
- Reports of
A category of sessional papers which presents the findings of research
- Rolls of Parliament - Earliest
records of parliament, up to the sixteenth century
- Select Committeess - The main investigative
body of the Parliament until the mid-nineteenth century.
papers of Parliament, including the bills, reports, and papers.
- Votes and Proceedings - Compiled
from the minute books kept by the Clerk of the House.
- As the historical record of Parliament's proceedings,
journals contain the following kinds of information:
- motions passed, amended, withdrawn
- committee memberships
- lists of papers
- Prior to the nineteenth century, journals were particularly
important because no "official" records exist.
- Most of this material is later reprinted in the Journals,
Sessional Papers, or Debates.
- Record of parliamentary speeches. The early 'debates'
are simply reports and summaries of the daily speeches. Verbatim records
were not kept until 1909.
- Include the following categories of documents:
- 1. Public Bills
- 2. Reports of Committees of Parliament
- 3. Reports of Royal Commissions or Select Committees
- 4. Accounts and Papers
- These working papers of Parliament are also called
parliamentary papers. The reports contain reports of the House committees,
select committees and Royal Commissions doing research work for Parliament.
Select committees have been the main investigative body for the Parliament.
However, during the nineteenth century, Royal Commissions and Departmental
Committees increasingly took over this function and their reports are often
issued as Command Papers, which are included in the parliamentary
papers. Not all departmental reports or papers are considered as such.
And finally, one can often find treaties, international agreements, and