§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office; if he will list their titles; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
§ Mr. FormanGovernment Departments have a statutory right under the Public Records Acts temporarily to retrieve records from the Public Record Office for their own administrative use.
The Department for Education regularly withdraws records relating to closed voluntary schools to deal with legal issues surrounding the disposal of premises. At present, the Department holds 50 records; of which nine are for those purposes described above. The others are being scrutinised for early release to the public. To list them all would involve disproportionate cost.
It is unusual for this Department to withdraw records for more than two weeks and all are returned as soon as departmental action is complete.