Hansard launches new and improved website

The new website is mobile-friendly and boasts an improved search function that allows users to quickly search for and share transcripts of debates, view all activity by Member, and makes it easier to find and filter division results.

• View the new Hansard website

Alex Newton, Editor of Commons Hansard, said:

"The UK Parliament is proud to be an open and transparent place where debates can be watched, listened to, or read at any time by anyone. The new Hansard is another step forward for digital democracy. It is now even easier for the public to read what has been said or search for how their MP voted. By making Hansard mobile-ready and by making it easier to share content via social media, the public are better able to inform themselves about their democracy and will be encouraged to get involved."

John Vice, Editor of Lords Hansard, said:

"This new version of online Hansard gives everyone clear and easy access to all that happens in the Lords and the Commons. The website is easy to read and search, all content can now be shared  on social media, details of how Members and parties voted is clearly shown, and it can be read on any mobile device. I'm sure this will help maintain a healthy relationship between Parliament and the public."

New Features

• Improved search function - A powerful, free-text search from the homepage will now let you search across Commons Hansard, Lords Hansard, or both at once; search by volume and column number; and refine search results by applying a date range.
• Committee sittings - It is now easier to find and skip between reports of individual Committee sittings.
• Division results - We've changed the way we display division results, so you can search for a topic and see all votes that have taken place on that issue. You can see the results of a division broken down by individual Member or by party, or as a graphic on a chart; and you can download and reuse the division data.
• A URL for each Member - On the new website, each Member has their own page with an unchanging URL, listing their details, their most recent contributions (in a list, or grouped by debate), and their voting record.
• Better ways of sharing the record - We've made it easier for you to link to our text, allowing you to quickly share a link to a debate or contribution on Facebook or Twitter.
• Better compatibility across devices - Our webpages now resize to fit any screen, so you can read Hansard comfortably on your mobile, tablet or PC.

Further Information

Hansard (the Official Report) is the edited verbatim report of what is said in Parliament, including in the Commons and Lords Chambers, legislative Committees, Westminster Hall, and the Lords Grand Committee. It also includes written statements. Members' speeches in the two Chambers are posted online within three hours, and within four hours for Westminster Hall; other debates will generally be online on the following day.

The new site will also enable all Hansard records to be found on one site. Material from the past six years will be on the new website and searches for material from 1988 to 2005 will redirect to our old site. You will also be able to click through from our pages to the Historic Hansard website, which has records dating back to 1803.

Image: Parliamentary Copyright