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Before 1771, British parliamentary debates were openly published, and reporting them was encouraged.
Answer: False
Explanation: Prior to 1771, British parliamentary debates were subject to strict secrecy. Publishing accounts of debates was considered a breach of parliamentary privilege and was actively discouraged and punishable.
Early newspapers circumvented restrictions on publishing parliamentary debates by reporting them under the guise of discussions from fictitious societies.
Answer: True
Explanation: To bypass parliamentary restrictions, early newspapers frequently published accounts of debates attributed to fictional assemblies, such as the "Senate of Magna Lilliputia," thereby masking their true origin.
Brass Crosby, the Lord Mayor of London in 1771, was praised by Parliament for releasing a printer who had published parliamentary proceedings.
Answer: False
Explanation: Brass Crosby, the Lord Mayor of London, was committed to the Tower of London for releasing a printer who had published parliamentary proceedings. However, following public outcry and legal challenges, Parliament ultimately reduced its punitive measures.
The term 'filleted' in early reporting referred to the practice of publishing debates without any names mentioned.
Answer: False
Explanation: The term 'filleted' in early reporting referred to the practice of obscuring the identity of speakers by using initials or partial names (e.g., "Sr. R—t W—le"), not omitting names entirely.
What was the situation regarding the reporting of parliamentary debates in Britain before 1771?
Answer: Parliament was secretive, and publishing debates was considered a breach of privilege.
Explanation: Before 1771, the British Parliament maintained strict secrecy regarding its debates, and any unauthorized publication was treated as a serious breach of privilege.
How did newspapers initially overcome the restrictions on publishing parliamentary debates?
Answer: By using pseudonyms for the Parliament and reporting debates as fictional discussions.
Explanation: Newspapers circumvented reporting restrictions by attributing parliamentary debates to fictitious societies or bodies, thereby disguising the true source of the information.
What was the outcome of the 1771 incident involving Brass Crosby and the publication of parliamentary proceedings?
Answer: Parliament reduced its strict punishment for publishing debates after facing protests.
Explanation: Following the incident involving Brass Crosby and the subsequent public protests, Parliament moderated its stance on punishing the publication of debates.
What is the 'Scrapbook Hansard'?
Answer: A compilation of legislative proceedings reported in newspapers before official Hansard records existed.
Explanation: 'Scrapbook Hansard' refers to collections compiled from newspaper reports of legislative proceedings prior to the establishment of official Hansard records.
Hansard serves as the official record of parliamentary debates primarily in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations.
Answer: True
Explanation: Hansard functions as the authoritative transcript of legislative proceedings in the UK and numerous Commonwealth countries, documenting debates and discussions.
Thomas Curson Hansard was a politician who established the first official record of parliamentary debates.
Answer: False
Explanation: Thomas Curson Hansard was not a politician but a London printer and publisher who became the first official printer to Parliament, eventually assuming proprietorship of the 'Parliamentary Debates'.
William Cobbett initiated the publication of 'Parliamentary Debates' in the early 19th century.
Answer: True
Explanation: William Cobbett commenced the publication of 'Parliamentary Debates' in 1802 as an adjunct to his 'Political Register', laying groundwork for subsequent official records.
Thomas Curson Hansard took over the printing of 'Parliamentary Debates' in 1809 and later acquired full proprietorship.
Answer: True
Explanation: Thomas Curson Hansard began printing Cobbett's 'Parliamentary Debates' in 1809 and acquired full proprietorship in 1812, leading to the publication eventually bearing his name.
The UK Parliament officially took over the publication of Hansard in 1909, establishing its own reporting staff.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 1909, the UK Parliament assumed direct control over the publication of Hansard, creating its own corps of official reporters and implementing changes such as separate volumes for each House.
The 'Mirror of Parliament' was a commercial rival to Hansard that allowed members to extensively edit their speeches before publication.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'Mirror of Parliament,' published between 1828 and 1843, served as a commercial competitor to Hansard and distinguished itself by allowing members to review and revise their speeches prior to publication.
Who is Hansard named after, and what was his role?
Answer: Thomas Curson Hansard, a London printer and the first official printer to Parliament.
Explanation: The publication known as Hansard is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, who was a printer and publisher and held the position of the first official printer to Parliament.
Who began publishing 'Parliamentary Debates' in 1802 as a supplement to his 'Political Register'?
Answer: William Cobbett
Explanation: William Cobbett initiated the publication of 'Parliamentary Debates' in 1802, integrating it as a supplement to his influential publication, the 'Political Register'.
How did Thomas Curson Hansard eventually become the proprietor of the 'Parliamentary Debates'?
Answer: He purchased the proprietorship from William Cobbett due to Cobbett's financial difficulties.
Explanation: Thomas Curson Hansard acquired the proprietorship of the 'Parliamentary Debates' from William Cobbett in 1812, following Cobbett's financial challenges.
Which of the following was a change implemented when Parliament took over Hansard publication in 1909?
Answer: Parliament established its own staff of official Hansard reporters.
Explanation: Upon Parliament's official takeover of Hansard publication in 1909, a significant change was the establishment of its own dedicated staff of official reporters.
What historical publication served as a commercial rival to Hansard and allowed members to review and correct their speeches?
Answer: The Mirror of Parliament
Explanation: The 'Mirror of Parliament,' published from 1828 to 1843, was a commercial rival to Hansard that permitted members to review and revise their speeches before publication.
Early editions of Hansard are considered completely reliable because they were compiled by dedicated parliamentary staff.
Answer: False
Explanation: Early Hansard editions were compiled from various newspaper sources rather than by dedicated parliamentary staff, limiting their absolute reliability as comprehensive records of all parliamentary discourse.
Hansard reports are intended to be exact, word-for-word transcripts of every utterance made in Parliament.
Answer: False
Explanation: Hansard reports are defined as "substantially verbatim," meaning they omit repetitions and redundancies and correct obvious errors, but do not alter the substance or meaning of a speech.
In UK Hansard, interjections like laughter are always recorded verbatim.
Answer: False
Explanation: Interjections such as laughter are typically marked with the notation "(Interruption)" in Hansard rather than being recorded verbatim, preserving the flow of the primary speech.
Explicit identification of political party affiliations for members began appearing in the UK House of Commons Hansard in 2003.
Answer: True
Explanation: Prior to 2003, the UK Hansard did not explicitly identify members' party affiliations. This practice was formally introduced in that year.
A parliamentary convention requires members to submit written corrections for inaccurate statements, which are then published in the official Hansard.
Answer: False
Explanation: While a convention exists for MPs to correct inaccurate statements, these corrections are typically recorded in the House of Commons library copy of Hansard, not necessarily published in the main official record.
What is the primary purpose of Hansard?
Answer: To provide a detailed, official transcript of parliamentary debates and discussions.
Explanation: The principal function of Hansard is to furnish a comprehensive and official record of the verbatim proceedings and debates occurring within a legislative body.
What limitation did early Hansard publications have due to their compilation method?
Answer: They were not considered absolutely reliable as they were compiled from newspapers.
Explanation: The compilation of early Hansard editions from various newspaper sources meant they were not always entirely reliable for capturing the full scope of parliamentary proceedings.
According to the 1893 House of Commons select committee definition, what is omitted from a Hansard report?
Answer: Repetitions and redundancies.
Explanation: The 1893 House of Commons select committee definition stipulates that Hansard reports should omit repetitions and redundancies while retaining all content that contributes to the meaning or illustrates the argument.
How are interruptions like laughter typically indicated in Hansard?
Answer: They are marked with the word '(Interruption)'.
Explanation: Interjections and interruptions, including laughter, are generally indicated in Hansard by the notation '(Interruption)' rather than being transcribed verbatim.
When did the UK Hansard begin explicitly identifying members' party affiliations?
Answer: 2003
Explanation: The explicit identification of political party affiliations for members within the UK Hansard commenced in the year 2003.
What happens under the parliamentary convention if a UK MP makes an inaccurate statement in a debate?
Answer: The MP must submit a written correction recorded in the House of Commons library copy of Hansard.
Explanation: A parliamentary convention dictates that if a Member of Parliament makes an inaccurate statement, they should submit a written correction, which is then entered into the library copy of Hansard.
What does the term 'substantially verbatim' mean in the context of Hansard editing?
Answer: A report that is mostly verbatim but omits repetitions and corrects obvious errors.
Explanation: 'Substantially verbatim' signifies that a Hansard report closely reflects the spoken word, excluding repetitions and redundancies while correcting minor errors, without altering the core meaning.
The Stockdale v Hansard case in 1839 affirmed the House of Commons' absolute privilege to publish any defamatory material.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Stockdale v Hansard case did not affirm absolute privilege; rather, it led to the enactment of the Parliamentary Papers Act 1840, which established qualified privilege for publications authorized by the House of Commons.
The Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 was enacted to limit the publication of parliamentary debates following the Stockdale v Hansard case.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 was enacted to grant privilege to parliamentary publications, thereby protecting them from defamation claims, rather than to limit their publication.
What was the legal consequence of the Stockdale v Hansard case?
Answer: It resulted in the passing of the Parliamentary Papers Act 1840.
Explanation: The judgment in the Stockdale v Hansard case prompted the legislative response of the Parliamentary Papers Act 1840, which clarified and established privilege for parliamentary publications.
The Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 was enacted primarily to address issues arising from which court case?
Answer: Stockdale v. Hansard
Explanation: The Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 was a legislative response directly stemming from the legal proceedings and judgment in the case of Stockdale v. Hansard.
In Canadian Hansard, members are primarily referred to by their full names, similar to UK practice.
Answer: False
Explanation: Unlike the UK practice, Canadian Hansard typically refers to members by the parliamentary riding they represent or their cabinet post, with their full name and affiliation provided upon their first speech of the day.
The bilingual nature of the Canadian Hansard makes it unsuitable for training machine translation programs.
Answer: False
Explanation: The existence of parallel French and English versions of the Canadian Hansard provides natural parallel texts, making it a valuable resource for training machine translation programs.
Newfoundland's history includes violent incidents related to press freedom, such as an editor having his ears cut off.
Answer: True
Explanation: The historical development of press freedom in Newfoundland involved significant struggles, including documented instances of violence against editors, such as the severing of ears.
Joseph Howe's libel case in 1835 is considered insignificant to the development of press freedom in Canada.
Answer: False
Explanation: Joseph Howe's successful defense in his 1835 libel case is widely regarded as a pivotal moment and a cornerstone in the establishment of freedom of the press in Canada.
Ontario produced an official record of its legislative debates starting in the late 19th century.
Answer: False
Explanation: Ontario did not commence producing an official record of its legislative debates until 1944. Prior to this, such records were compiled from newspaper reports.
Alberta adopted a formal Hansard system and allowed audio/video recording in the Chamber starting in 1972.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 1972, Alberta formally adopted a Hansard system and concurrently passed motions permitting audio and video recording within the legislative Chamber.
Alberta Hansard allows extensive revisions by members to alter the meaning or substance of their spoken words.
Answer: False
Explanation: Alberta Hansard adheres to strict editorial guidelines that permit corrections for grammar and spelling but prohibit substantive alterations that would change the original meaning or substance of a member's speech.
The British Columbia Legislature produced its first complete official record of debates in 1970.
Answer: False
Explanation: While a partial record commenced in 1970, the British Columbia Legislature did not issue its first complete official record of debates until 1972.
The Parliament of South Australia was the first Australian parliament to adopt the use of Hansard.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Parliament of South Australia pioneered the adoption of Hansard among Australian parliaments, establishing its convention from 1857.
Hansard was introduced in Tasmania in the mid-19th century.
Answer: False
Explanation: Hansard was not introduced in Tasmania until 1979, commencing in June of that year for both the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly.
The first official report of debates for the New Zealand Parliament was produced in 1867.
Answer: True
Explanation: The inaugural official report of debates for the New Zealand Parliament was published on July 9, 1867.
The United States equivalent of Hansard is known as the Congressional Record.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Congressional Record serves as the official daily publication detailing the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, analogous to Hansard in other parliamentary systems.
In the Canadian House of Commons, how are members typically referred to in Hansard?
Answer: By the parliamentary riding they represent or their cabinet post.
Explanation: Canadian Hansard typically identifies members by their parliamentary riding or cabinet position, providing their full name and affiliation only upon their initial speech of the day.
Why is the Canadian Hansard considered a valuable resource for machine translation?
Answer: It exists in parallel French and English versions, creating natural parallel texts.
Explanation: The bilingual nature of Canadian Hansard, with parallel French and English texts, provides valuable parallel corpora essential for training and refining machine translation systems.
Which Australian state's parliament was the first to adopt Hansard?
Answer: South Australia
Explanation: The Parliament of South Australia holds the distinction of being the first Australian parliament to adopt the use of Hansard, commencing this practice in 1857.
When did the Parliament of New South Wales commence its Hansard system?
Answer: 1879
Explanation: The Hansard system for the Parliament of New South Wales was initiated on October 28, 1879, beginning with the reporting of the Legislative Council.
What is the US equivalent of Hansard?
Answer: The Congressional Record
Explanation: The Congressional Record serves as the official daily publication of proceedings and debates in the United States Congress, functioning as the U.S. equivalent to Hansard.
How does the British Columbia Hansard identify members compared to the UK Hansard?
Answer: BC uses simpler identification (initial/last name, 'Honourable' for ministers); UK is more complex.
Explanation: British Columbia Hansard employs a simpler identification system, typically using initial and last name (with 'Honourable' for ministers), contrasting with the more complex identification methods often found in UK Hansard.
In New Zealand Hansard, what kind of corrections are members permitted to request for their speeches?
Answer: Corrections for inadvertent factual inaccuracies only.
Explanation: Members of the New Zealand Parliament may request corrections to their speeches in Hansard, but these are strictly limited to inadvertent factual inaccuracies, not substantive alterations.
Digitization efforts have made historical UK Hansard records searchable online from the year 1803.
Answer: True
Explanation: Through digitization projects, historical UK Hansard records are now accessible and searchable online, with records dating back to 1803 being available.
How has digitization improved the accessibility of UK Hansard?
Answer: It allows online searching of Hansard records dating back to 1803.
Explanation: Digitization has significantly enhanced the accessibility of UK Hansard, enabling online searching of historical records that extend back to 1803.
How has technology, specifically the internet, impacted Hansard?
Answer: It has enabled online publication and improved searchability of records.
Explanation: The advent of the internet and related technologies has revolutionized Hansard by facilitating online publication and significantly enhancing the searchability and accessibility of parliamentary records.