HC Deb 20 June 1997 vol 296 cc323-4W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of and how many archival files which were handed to the Public Record Office in 1965 were released (a) in whole and (b) in part before 30 years elapse [4659]

Mr. Hoon

The Question concerns a specific operational matter on which the Chief Executive of the Public Record Office is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the Chief Executive to reply direct.

Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Norman Baker, dated 19 June 1997: I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about the above. To produce actual or percentage figures for items from the 47,865 units transferred to the Public Record Office 1965, which were subsequently released in whole or in part before they were 30 years old, could only be done by checking against each individual item its expected and actual release date, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. I would be very pleased to invite you to the Public Record Office to see how the system works and to discuss this matter further, if you wished.