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Under terms of the Copyright act of 1911 and the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the Library would expect to have almost complete coverage for all printed format Official publications that have been published since 1911. Every effort is made to ensure that every item published is acquired. Where a title is published in Welsh or is of Welsh interest, a second copy may be purchased to add to the Library's Welsh collection.

Where publications were available in both individual item and bound volume formats the Library usually received the bound volume format versions only until the parliamentary session 1986/1987, when both bound volume and individual item formats were received. Since 2010 where individual item and bound volume formats are available, only the bound volumes are accessioned. As bound volumes are not published immediately, access to online versions are usually available

The Library has acquired some 17th Century and major runs of 18th and 19th century Official publications. Where reprints are available or works are available in non-print formats, these formats have been acquired, both to fill gaps in Library holdings and to preserve the original copies.

The Library's interpretation of what constitutes a Non-Parliamentary publication is very broad and inclusive. In addition to Government departments and executive agencies, it includes Public Bodies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and organisations that are publicly funded.

Some of the major series include census of India, British Imperial Documents, East Indies reports, various monographic series covering Medicine and Health, late 19th century and early 20th century publications covering Defence, Military and Naval subjects, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food publications, Welsh Board of Health Publications.

Searching the collection

All UK official publications since 1985 are listed in the OPAC. Publications before 1985 are listed on microfiche. Certain publications such as Statutory Instruments, Command Papers, HC and HL Papers, Bills & Acts are treated as serials and are not searchable by title or ISBN. The TSO annual catalogues or online catalogue should be used to identify the number of individual papers. In the case of publications in Welsh or of Welsh interest where additional copies have been purchased they are treated as monograph publications and are listed in the OPAC.

Since the decentralisation of official publishing, many departments and agencies publish independently of TSO, and so their publications may not be listed in TSO catalogues.

Items may be ordered in advance and may be reserved unless another reader requests the same item.

Parliamentary Papers

  • House of Commons Papers: Partial coverage from 1837/1838 (arranged set): complete set from session 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • House of Commons Bills: Partial coverage 1801-1832, 1837-1838, 1888-1912/13 (non-traditional arrangement), Complete set 1910-1985/1986 (bound): complete set from 1986/1987 (non-traditional arrangement, unbound)
  • Command Papers: Partial coverage 1st Series, 1 & 2nd series, (C1-), (Arranged by subject, bound). Complete set Series Cm, 1-, from 1986 (non-traditional arrangement, unbound).
  • House of Lords Papers Complete set 1914/1916-1986/1987 (arranged set): Complete set from 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • House of Lords Bills: Complete set from 1986/1987 (non-traditional arrangement, unbound).

Parliamentary Debates

  • Parliamentary Debates, 1803-1908: Complete set 1st series 1803-1820, 2nd series 1820-1830, 3rd series 1830-1891 and 4th series 1891-1908. (The majority are bound volumes, with some in daily parts).
  • House of Commons Debates: Complete set 5th series 1901-1981, 6th series, from 1981 (bound volumes).
  • Daily Hansard (Commons): Complete set from 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • Weekly Hansard (Commons): Complete set from 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • House of Lords Debates, 1909-: Complete set 5th series from 1909
  • Daily Hansard (Lords): Complete set from 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • Weekly Hansard (Lords): Complete set from 1986/1987 (unbound)
  • House of Commons Standing Committee Official Reports: Complete set from 1986/1987 (bound and unbound).

Journals

  • House of Commons Journals: Complete set vol. 1 (lacking 1881)
  • House of Lords Journals: Partial coverage 1509-1880, 1909-1912, Complete set from 1913, together with General Indexes.
  • House of Commons Votes and Proceedings: Partial coverage 1718-1721, 1763-1786, 1795-1798, 1808, 1807, 1864-1912/13.
  • House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings: Partial coverage 1864-1913.
  • London Gazette: Complete set from 1912

Legislation

  • Public General Acts: Partial coverage from 1688, Complete set from 1901.
  • Local and Personal Acts: Partial coverage 18th Century, Complete set from 1987. (The National Library of Wales has a substantial collection of Local and Personal Acts that relate to Wales).
  • Statutes of the Realm: 1101. 9v. Index 1101-1713.
  • Statutory Instruments: Complete set 1910-1955 (unbound), 1956-1986 (bound), 1987- 2010 (bound & unbound) 2011- (bound)
  • Church of England Measures: Complete from 2000 (unbound)
  • Local Statutory Instruments: partial coverage relating to Wales.

Full-Text Reprints

  • Printed: HoC Sessional Papers, 18th century. (ed. S. Lambert): Complete, vols. 1-145 Index vols.
  • Printed: HoL Sessional Papers, 1714-1805 (ed. F. W. Torrington): Complete 60v.
  • Printed: Irish University Press Parliamentary Papers: Complete, 100 Vols.
  • Microfilm: Parliamentary Papers, 1801 – (Chadwyck Healey): Complete.

Others

  • Kraus reprint of Hansards parliamentary debates. Kraus reprint New York, 1971: PF the reprint volumes have been acquired to fill gaps in the holdings of the original set.
  • House of Commons Debates 1621 Wallace Notestein. New Haven Yale University Press, London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1935: Complete 7 vols.
  • Commons Debates 1628. ed.. Robert C Johnson (et al). Newhaven and London Yale University Press 1977: Complete 4v.
  • The Statutes revised 3rd ed.

Online

  • Chadwyck Healey House of Commons parliamentary papers (selected Parliamentary Papers from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries)
  • Public Information Online (wide selection of parliamentary and non-parliamentary papers from 2006)
  • UKOP (available only within the library)

Online resources can be accessed from the External Electronic Resources page.

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