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Identity Statement Area
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Reference Number |
LAS1
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Type
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LAS
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No. |
1
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Title |
Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (English Version)
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Chinese Title |
香港議事錄：香港立法會會議過程紀錄(英文本)
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Inclusive Date |
1858
- 2021
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Status of the Series
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Continued
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Level of Description |
Series
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Form Part of (Fonds)
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AF1
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Consist of (Sub-series Included) |
0
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Consist of (Deposits Included) |
14
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Number of Files
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349
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Medium |
Paper: bound volumes
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Extent (LM) |
17.20
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[+]
Context Area
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Creating Agency / Donor
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Name
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Date(s) of Existence / Birth
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Legislative Council of Hong Kong
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1843 - 1997
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Provisional Legislative Council of Hong Kong
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1997 - 1998
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Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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1998 -
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Archival History |
This series was transferred to the Legislative Council Archives between 2011 and 2013.
Hansards dated before 1946 were acquired from the Legislative Council Library. Hansards created between 1946 and 1995 and after 2009 were acquired from the Translation and Interpretation Division (TID), and those of 1996-2009 were from the Council Business Division 3 (CBD3).
TID is responsible for the production of Hansard. Upon completion, TID retains a copy of the printed version in both English and Chinese for record purpose, and distributes reference copies to the concerned Divisions in the Legislative Council Secretariat, including the Library and CBD3. The latter is responsible for servicing meetings of the Council.
From the ‘chops’ inside the earlier printed volumes, it appears that some printed copies of Hansard were acquired from the Government Secretariat, formerly the Colonial Secretariat.
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Immediate Source(s) of Acquisition
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Name
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Date(s) of Existence / Birth
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Council Business Division 3, Legislative Council Secretariat
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1998 - 30/06/2024
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Translation and Interpretation Division, Legislative Council Secretariat
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1998 -
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Legislative Council Library, Special Duties Team, Legislative Council Secretariat
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14/03/2011 - 17/07/2012
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Content and Structure Area |
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Scope and Content
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a. Nature
Hansard is the official record of what is said during the conduct of the business of the Legislative Council at a Council meeting, including debates by Members on the issues and subjects brought to the attention of the Council. Since 1972, Members may speak in Chinese or English at Council meetings with simultaneous translation available.
This series includes only the published English version of the Hansard.
b. Variations in title
Records in this series have appeared under different titles in different times:
1. 1858-1881: Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Hongkong
2. 1882-1890: No title is shown on the records from 1882-1890
3. 1890-1968: Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council
4. 1969-1997: Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Sittings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
5. 1997-1998: Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Provisional Legislative Council of Hong Kong
6. 1998 - present: Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
The last title, “Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong” has been selected to identify this records series with English Version added to indicate the language used.
c. Subject matter
The following aspects of Council business are commonly found in Hansard:
- Date and time of sittings/meetings and adjournments
- Names of Members present and absent, and the public officials and Council clerks attending each meeting
- Taking of oaths and affirmations by Members
- Election of President (from 19 February 1993)
- Tabling of papers and subsidiary legislation
- Addresses, such as the Chief Executive’s policy speech or introduction of a departmental annual report
- Oral answers to Members’ questions
- Written answers to Members' questions
- Bill readings
- Motions on bills and ordinances
- Voting results
- Appointment of committees
- Statements and announcements.
d. Production
Commencing in 1858, the Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Hongkong were published in the Hongkong Government Gazette. These early reports comprised summaries of the proceedings of the Council and did not record the debates in verbatim, although addresses and statements by the Governor were reproduced in full (see item (1) in Note). From 1890 the debates and proceedings of the Council were reported in detail, reproducing the remarks and speeches of Members.
From 1890 to 1928 the reports were printed in the Hongkong Daily Press and, after reviewed by Members of the Council, they were published separately. The volumes for these years carry the notation 'Reprinted from the Hongkong Daily Press, revised by the Members' on the title page.
Subsequently, the printing of the Hong Kong Hansard was undertaken by the following firms until its publication and production were taken over by the Hong Kong Government (Government Printer and its successors) from 1951:
1. 1929-1941 and 1946: South China Morning Post Limited;
2. 1947-1949: Ye Olde Printerie, Limited; and
3. 1950: Noronha & Co Ltd, Government Printers & Publishers.
At present, the Translation and Interpretation Division is responsible for preparing draft reports of Council meetings which are circulated among the parties concerned for comment. Taking into consideration the comments and feedback received, the “floor version” of the “Official Record of the Proceedings of the Meetings of the Legislative Council” is finalized. The floor version is recorded in the language of the speeches delivered on the floor. It is then translated and published in two versions of Hansard, one in Chinese and the other in English.
e. Related records series
The Official Record of Proceedings of the Meetings of the Legislative Council, i.e. floor version of Hansard, is grouped under LAS 2: Official Record of Proceedings of the Meetings of the Legislative Council (Floor Version of Hansard). The Chinese published version of Hansard is in LAS 39: Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Chinese Version).
Reports and papers laid before the Council are compiled separately in LAS 4: Sessional Papers and LAS 59: Other Papers Tabled at Legislative Council Meetings. Details of the papers tabled at Council Meetings are set out at the beginning of each report of meeting after the names of Members present and absent and persons in attendance.
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Material Type
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Hansard
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Physical Description
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Records between 1858 and 1890 are photocopied from the Hongkong Government Gazette and subsequently bound into volumes with clear plastic front covers. Printed copies of Hansard from 1890 onwards are in bound volumes.
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Accruals |
Further accrual is expected
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Arrangement System |
Chronological by Session
Where more than one volume covers the Session, these are numbered sequentially using Roman numerals, e.g. Session 1994-95, Volume I - Volume V.
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Conditions of Transfer, Access and Use Area
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Security Classification |
Open
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Conditions Governing Access
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Policy on Access to the Legislature's Documents and Records, Schedule 2 of Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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Conditions Governing Reproduction
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Copyright Ordinance, Cap. 528, Laws of Hong Kong
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Language and Scripts |
English
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Finding Aids |
The printed volumes of Hansard from 1890 are indexed. The subjects are arranged alphabetically together with their relevant page reference.
From 1890 to 1900 the index is located at the back of the volume; and at the front from 1900-01 to 1985-86.
Beginning in 1986-1987, a Summary of Contents is located at the front of the first volume of reports for each Session, and the index appears at the back of the last volume for the Session.
From 1995-1996 to 2007-2008, the last volume for each Session contains two sections headed ‘Reports of the Sittings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong’ (later titled ‘Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council. See Scope and Content above). The first of these is titled ‘Summary of Business’ and the second section contains the index.
The first section, ‘Summary of Business’, lists the business of the Council in the following order:
- Addresses by the Governor / Chief Executive
- Governor’s / Chief Executive's question time
- Addresses
- Questions
- Motions
- Bills
- Adjournment
- End of session
An explanatory note on the letter code system that indicates the date of the relevant sitting / meeting of the Council is placed at the front of this section. For example, ‘A’ refers to the Sitting on 11 October 1995, ‘Z’ for that on 3 April 1996, and ‘AA’ for the Sitting on 18 April 1996.
The location reference printed next to the relevant item of business consists of the sitting/meeting code letter and page number(s). Thus, the address by the Governor on 11 October 1995 has the location reference ‘A20-74’.
The second of the two sections contains the index.
In addition to the page reference a letter code is used in the index to identify the type of business, as follows:
- (A) Address;
- (Q) Question;
- (M) Motion;
- (S) Statement;
- (B) Bill;
- (N) Announcement; and
- (AD) Adjournment.
Examples taken from the Session 2001-02 are
- 1989 Water Supply Agreement, 3095(Q);
- Hong Kong Observatory, 7516(M); and
- Securities and Futures Market, 4298(B).
Entries for Bills may be followed by a letter / number code to indicate to which reading is referred, as follows:
- 1R for the first reading;
- 2R for the second;
- 3R for the third; and
- C for the committee stage.
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Allied Materials Area
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Existence and Location of Copies |
Digital versions of Hong Kong Hansard are available on the following Websites:
1. 1858-1890 (published in the Hongkong Government Gazette) and 1890-1941: Hong Kong Government Reports Online (1842-1941) maintained by the University of Hong Kong Libraries at http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/index.jsp or https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/; and
2. 1858 - present: Legislative Council Website at www.legco.gov.hk
Printed volumes of Hong Kong Hansard: Reports of the Meetings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong are available:
1. 1858 to present in the Legislative Council Library; and
2. from 1892-1893 to 2011-2012 [with gaps]: the Central Preservation Library for Government Publications of the Public Records Office, Government Records Service, Hong Kong at www.grs.gov.hk
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Related Records |
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Associated Materials |
Minutes of the Legislative Council from 1844 to 1859 are grouped under Sessional Papers in CO131/1-4 of the War and Colonial Department and Colonial Office: Hong Kong at the National Archives of the UK. A copy is available at the Public Records Office, Government Records Service, Hong Kong.
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Notes Area
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Note |
(1) It was decided by the Council on 22 March 1858 that the Votes and Proceedings of the Council should be published in the same shape as recorded in the Journal kept by the Clerk of Councils; the Governor however reserved the power of withholding from such publication any matters to which it might appear to him unadvisable to give publicity. See Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Hongkong, No. 8 of 1858, 22 March 1858, in Hongkong Government Gazette, 27 March 1858.
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