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TheHansard Society was formed in the United Kingdom in 1944 to promoteparliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by CommanderStephen King-Hall, the first subscribers wereWinston Churchill andClement Attlee.[1] The society's co-presidents are theSpeaker of the House of Commons,Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and theLord Speaker,Lord McFall of Alcluith, and the vice-presidents are the leaders of theLabour,Conservative andLiberal Democrat parties. The society is named after theHansard parliamentary record, which publishes the proceedings of theBritish parliament.
More than 70 years on, the Hansard Society claims to be universally recognised as the independent and non-partisan authority on Parliament and democracy. Their work encompasses a wide range of areas, from citizenship education to the role of Parliament, fromdevolution to the impact of new media on politics. In addition, the society organises a variety of events inWestminster with high-profile speakers, influential seminars and popular fringe events at party conferences.
The society has an Advisory Council who support the staff and work of the society in an advisory capacity and across the various programmes of work. It is composed of MPs and Lords, journalists, business people and academics. Within the council there is an Executive Committee, which acts as a board of trustees. The current chair of the Advisory Council isPeter Riddell.
The Hansard Society functions through a number of project teams, whose work includes:
The Citizenship Education programme works with young people through schools and colleges to educate and inform them about parliamentary democracy and develop innovative ways to involve them in participatory democratic activities. It aims to ensure that teachers have free access to knowledge, training sessions and stimulating resources for political education.
The programme organisesmock elections in schools across the UK and runs a number of student-focused projects.
Established in 1997, theDigital Democracy programme (until 2010 known as the eDemocracy Programme) was the first research unit dedicated to examining the political and social impact of information and communications technology (ICT). They also conduct research and evaluation; producing commentary and analysis on the latest new media developments and their impact on parliament, government and civil society, including digital participation, engagement, political campaigning and the parliamentary process. The programme was led from 2007 until 2011 by Dr Andy Williamson, a well known researcher and commentator on digital democracy. Previous directors included Ross Ferguson (2005 - 2007) and ProfessorStephen Coleman (until 2005).
The Digital Democracy programme, in conjunction with theHouse of Lords, established theLords of the Blog website in 2008 to educate, raise awareness and engage with the public on a range of issues regarding the role and business of the House of Lords.Lord Norton, one of the contributors to the blog, was in 2008 described as "a new star of the blogosphere."[2]
TheMinistry of Justice commissioned the programme in 2005 to conduct "anindependent review of ways in which central government can use information and communication technology (ICT) to enable and enhance public engagement", called Digital Dialogues.
The Parliament & Government programme undertakes research on political and constitutional reform. In recent years, they have worked on the issues of Parliamentary scrutiny and government accountability, political representation, the process of law making, and public engagement.
Working closely with parliamentarians, government, the media and the public to consider a range of issues relevant to parliamentary democracy, the programme has made many influential recommendations for parliamentary reform. The society's publication,The Fiscal Maze: Parliament, Government and Public Money, encouraged theHouse of CommonsLiaison Committee to examine the issue of parliamentary scrutiny of government expenditure,[3] and the researchA Year in the Life: From member of public to Member of Parliament was quoted at length by theModernisation Committee in its inquiryRevitalising the Chamber: the role of the back bench Member.[4]
The programme also publishes an annualAudit of Political Engagement, examining the characteristics and trends in public attitudes to politics.[5][6][7]
In 1985 the society, in conjunction with theLondon School of Economics, established the Hansard Scholars and Hansard Research Scholars programme, which organised study programmes at LSE and internships in Westminster.[8] The programme was suspended in 2021.[9]
As a registered charity,[10] the Hansard Society relies on funding from individual donations, grants from charitable trusts and foundations, corporate sponsorship, and donations from individual parliamentarians from Westminster and the devolved institutions.
In 2019, the Hansard Society was given a B grade for funding transparency byWho Funds You?[11]
The journalParliamentary Affairs is jointly published byOxford University Press and the Hansard Society.
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