§ Mr. HainTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many years his Department keeps departmental files before shredding or other means of disposal.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWith the exception of files on routine administrative matters, dealing with accounts, transport, office equipment etcetera, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's policy is to keep files intact until they are reviewed in their 28th or 29th year. Duplicate or ephemeral material of no historical value is removed with the agreement of the Public Record Office inspecting officer and files are released to the Public Record Office when they are 30 years old.