§ Q125. Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister what criteria are used to determine which official papers relating to the conduct of Government business should be preserved and which should be shredded; and what role is played in this process by the Cabinet Office.
§ The Prime MinisterEvery Department, including the Cabinet Office, has a departmental records officer whose duty it is to select departmental records for preservation in accordance with the principles set out by the Grill committee on Departmental Records (Cmnd. 9163 of 1952). If in doubt a departmental records officer may seek the advice of an inspecting officer of the Public Records Office.