About / Legal

How we are funded

Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, UK

The Hansard Society is an independent charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 1091364).

We have a diverse funding base that serves to protect our independence – we are not dependent on any single external funder.

Two-thirds of our annual income is generated through the Society’s services, particularly our international education programme and the sale of our quarterly journal and other publications. As a non-profit organisation, this income is then re-invested in our research and education projects and our wide-ranging public events programme. It also helps us to undertake a substantial amount of non-funded work such as providing evidence and advisory support to parliamentary committees and other public inquiries both at home and abroad.

Some of our projects are supported through individual donations and grants from charitable trusts, foundations, research councils, parliaments, government departments, and corporate sponsors. We are extremely grateful for their generous support. However, the credibility and reputation of our work depends on it being independently produced. The Society thus retains full, independent control of all our projects including research scope and methods, editorial decisions in relation to all resource materials and publications, and the choice of speakers at our events. Committed to ethical research and transparency we always publish our findings and recommendations regardless of the views of any funder and wherever possible aim to make our work freely available to other researchers and the wider public.

In 2016 we received funds from the following (by income band):

  • Economic and Social Research Council / Department for International Development (jointly funded project)

  • European Commission

  • House of Commons

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 17-21 November 2025

The assisted dying bill will have its second Committee Stage sitting in the Lords. Home Office, Transport, Energy and Northern Ireland Ministers will face oral questions in the Commons. MPs will scrutinise the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill. Backbench MPs will lead debates on International Men’s Day and on Injury in Service Awards. In the Lords, scrutiny continues of the Crime and Policing Bill, the Employment Rights Bill, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Select Committees will question the Work and Pensions Secretary and several junior ministers and will examine issues such as children’s care, digital ID, home ownership, cryptocurrency, fiscal policy, and clinical negligence.

16 Nov 2025
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill - special series #18: A conversation with the Bill’s sponsor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 115

In this episode, we are joined by Lord Falconer, the Labour Peer steering the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through the House of Lords. Although he has attempted to legislate for assisted dying several times before, this is the first occasion he is working with a bill that has already cleared the House of Commons. In a wide-ranging conversation, he explains why this issue has driven him for more than a decade and assesses the Bill’s prospects of becoming law. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

14 Nov 2025
Read more

Briefings / Assisted dying - The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Rolling news

Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation.

15 May 2025
Read more

Blog / Assisted dying bill: How does Committee Stage work in the House of Lords?

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the Bill to legalise assisted dying – will begin its Committee Stage in the House of Lords on Friday 14 November. In this blog, we explain how Committee Stage works in the House of Lords, including how the House debates and decides on amendments, and how long this stage is likely to take.

11 Nov 2025
Read more

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: A guide to the legislative process in the House of Lords

Having passed through the House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - must now go through its legislative stages in the House of Lords. This guide explains the special procedures for legislation in the House of Lords, and for Private Members’ Bills in particular. It answers some frequently asked questions, including how Peers might block the Bill, and gives an explanation of each stage of the process, from Second to Third Reading.

10 Sep 2025
Read more