Hansard is the traditional name for the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government.
Before 1771, the British Parliament had long been a highly secretive body. The official record of the actions of the House were publicly available, but there was no such record of debates.
Then began several attempts to publish reports of debates. Among the early successes, the Parliamentary Register published by John Almon and John Debrett began in 1775 and ran until 1813.
William Cobbett, a noted radical and publisher began publishing Parliamentary Debates as a supplement to his Political Register in 1802, eventually extending his reach back with the Parliamentary History. Cobbett's reports were printed by Thomas Curson Hansard from 1809; in 1812, with his business suffering, Cobbett sold the Debates to Hansard. From 1829 the name "Hansard" appeared on the title page of each issue.
Neither Cobbett nor Hansard ever employed anyone to take down notes of the debates, which were taken from a multiplicity of sources in the morning newspapers. For this reason, early editions of Hansard are not to be absolutely relied upon as a guide to everything discussed in Parliament.
The Hansard of today, a fully comprehensive account of every speech, began in 1909 when Parliament took over the publication. At the same time the decision was made to publish debates of the two houses in separate volumes, and to change the front cover from orange-red to light blue. A larger page format was introduced with new technology in 1980.
Voting
MPs almost always vote with their party. Party discipline is exercised by the Whips. Their duties include informing MPs of a coming voting and making sure that enough MPs are present. Each week MPs receive from the Whips underlined notices, the number of underlinings (1-3) indicate the importance of the voting. A “ three-lined whip” signifies a crucial vote, and failure to attend it or to comply with the party instructions is usually regarded as a rebellion against the party policy.
On rare occasion free votes take place on matters of individual conscience (e.g. death penalty, abortion etc)
All motions are originally subject to a voice vote. The Speaker then gives his opinion as to which side won by the voice vote. If his assessment is challenged, then a “ division ” occurs, signified by the ringing of the Division Bell. On either side of the House Chamber is a division lobby. They have 8 minutes to reach the lobbies before the doors are locked. Those who wish to vote “ aye ” enter one lobby, while those wish to vote “ No ” enter the other. As members the exit the lobby and reenter the Chamber, their votes are counted. <= voting by feet
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