§ Lord Gainfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the report of the Efficiency Scrutiny of the Public Record Office has been completed and when it is expected to be published.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern)I have received the report of the efficiency scrutiny of the Public Record Office. I am today publishing the report and placing copies in the Libraries of both Houses.
The scrutiny was set up in August 1990 to look at the functions, management and organisation of the Public Record Office, to examine the services it provides and to make proposals on its future status. I am most concerned to ensure that the priceless national asset of the records held by the Public Record Office is maintained efficiently and that the best possible quality of service is provided to those who wish to use them.
The scrutiny team has produced a wide-ranging report and I shall be considering the detailed recommendations which it contains. I accept the broad thrust of the report and agree with the scrutiny team's conclusion that the PRO should become an Executive Agency under the Government's Next Steps programme. Officials of the PRO and my department will be drawing up an action plan for the transition to agency status and associated management changes.