HL Deb 21 December 1983 vol 446 c829WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will ensure that non-classified documents borrowed from the Public Record Office by Government departments for use or study are photo-copied and the originals returned to the PRO for the benefit of the public wishing to consult them.

The Lord Chancellor (Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone)

During the course of the year ended 30th September 1983 about 17,500 separate files were temporarily returned to departments by the Public Record Office under the provisions of Section 4(6) of the Public Records Act 1958. It would be prohibitively expensive to produce photocopies on this scale.