In this blog, we will be looking at how to use the OSCOLA referencing system to cite a Command Paper. We will also be considering what the types of Command Paper are and how these differ. Command Papers are an important type of source to cite and can strengthen your writing if used to back up your points and as examples.
Firstly, we will look at what Command Papers are – the different types and how they work. As usual, feel free to skip ahead to the section on referencing if you are already confident on the background information for this topic.
What are Command Papers?
The term Command Papers refers to a collection of many different sorts of Parliamentary Papers presented to the UK Parliament. The name Command Papers originates from the phrase on the papers: “Presented to Parliament … by command of Her (or His) Majesty”. This formula stems back to Government Papers having authority from Ministers of the Crown or the Sovereign and being laid before Parliament when the Government thinks they should be examined by one or both Houses of Parliament.
The current phrase used is: “Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for … by Command of Her Majesty”. They are now in practice presented at the command of a Government Minister, rather than the Crown, but the phrase still remains.
There are many different types of Command Paper, so we will start by looking at some of these. The first sort to be considered is White Papers. You likely already know what these are; they are policy documents setting out proposals for future legislation that are created by the Government. They might include a draft Bill of the proposed legislation, so you can see why they can be a strong source to cite for your work.
White Papers are used to invite discussion on a topic and allow for consultation with interested and affected parties. This means that changes can be made to the Bill after taking these discussions into account before it formally goes to Parliament.
The next type of Command Paper is Green Papers, which are related to White Papers and that you will probably also already know about. They are similar to White Papers in that they also invite discussion on a particular topic or policy and are created by the Government, but they are not actually a policy proposal; rather, they are consultation documents. The purpose of Green Papers is to gather feedback from interested parties both inside and outside of Parliament on the policy or legislative proposal before it is made.
Next, there are the State Papers. These are the historical records of Parliament and can include everything from official reports and council orders to treaties, international agreements and draft Parliamentary Bills. Obviously, all of this information can make it a very good source, particularly if you are studying historical law.
The Government replies to Select Committee Reports are another type of Command Paper. Replies to Select Committee Reports may be published as special reports of the relevant committee; otherwise, they will be released as a Command Paper. These are sometimes also called White Papers. Alternatively, the reply may be given during a debate or sometimes even as a response to a written question or departmental publication.
Another sort of Command Paper is the reports of the Royal Commissions. Royal Commissions are advisory committees mostly formed as needed by the Government to investigate an area of public concern. The reason for using a Royal Commission is for the Government to investigate an issue in a way that is seen as non-political, although it is not bound to accept any advice given by the Commission. They have seen a decline in recent years, with fewer topics being investigated by a Royal Commission.
However, some Royal Commissions are more permanent, such as the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, which gives advice on how best to preserve and publish historical manuscripts. This was first created in 1869 and is still active today.
The reports of Royal Commissions are almost always Command Papers and may be published as a one-off from the ad-hoc committees or as a regular report from the permanent ones, such as the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.
Command papers can also be statistics or Annual Reports and may include reports of some Committees of Inquiry, as well as other Commissions and non-Parliamentary bodies.
How Do You Reference Command Papers?
The basic format for a Command Paper citation is:
Name of department or other body | Title of paper | (Command Paper number, Year)
For example:
Home Office, Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment (Cmd 8932, 1953).
Looking at each part in turn:
Name of department or other body
This is the name of the body that has produced the Command Paper, which is the Home Office in the example above.
Title of Paper
This is simply the title of Command Paper in italics.
Command Paper number
Start by opening brackets, then write the Command Paper number. This will be preceded by an abbreviation, which depends on what year the Command Paper is from.
| 1833–69 | C (1st series) |
| 1870–99 | C (2nd series) |
| 1900–18 | Cd |
| 1919–56 | Cmd |
| 1957–86 | Cmnd |
| 1986 to present | Cm |
Year
After the Command Paper number, put a comma, then the year. Finally, close the brackets and add a full stop if the reference is in a footnote.
Extra Information
If there is any extra information to add, place this in the brackets before the Command Paper number and another comma. For example, if the reference is to a White Paper, you could write this as:
Department for International Development, Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future (White Paper, Cm 7656, 2009).
Pinpoints
If you need to reference a certain part of the document you can do this at the very end of the reference, after another comma. For example:
Department for International Development, Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future (White Paper, Cm 7656, 2009) ch 5.
Wrapping Up
I hope this helps you with your referencing and that you have a better understanding of the different types of Command Papers. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments!
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