§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the weeding of Security Service files, indicating the numbers and categories of records deleted over the last two years; and if he will make a statement with respect to future weeding. [132809]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI refer to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to my hon. Friends the Members for City of Chester (Ms Russell) and for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) respectively, on 29 July 1998,Official Report, columns 251–54W and 3 February 1999, Official Report, columns 619–20W. Some 130,000 records have been destroyed since my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's earlier statement. The Security Service disposes of those old files in its archive which are no longer relevant to its work and which do not merit retention on historical grounds. The process of review for destruction is carried out with strict adherence to the criteria endorsed by the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Council on Public Records. Moreover, the Public Record Office has routinely and regularly spot-checked a random selection of the records put aside for destruction and will continue to do so.