Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many files marked "Not for National Audit Office eyes" are held by the Department; and how many are marked "Not for Public Accounts Committee eyes".
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 6 December 1993]: There is a total of 263 subject files in my Department which carry the marking "Not for NAO Eyes".
The marking "Not for NAO eyes" is used in accordance with guidance from the Treasury and agreed by the National Audit Office under which documents relating to the handling of relations between Departments and the NAO are not automatically available to NAO while they are current.
The marking is removed once the subject matter is no longer current. The Scottish Office audit unit checks from time to time to ensure that the marking is being used and removed correctly.
There are no files marked "Not for PAC eyes".