§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) for what reasons documents FCO 9/1053 and FCO 42/342 have been retained by his Department; and when he expects them to be available to the public; [107449]
(2) what is the subject matter of the Public Record Office files on (a) FCO 42/146, (b) FCO 42 342 and (c) FCO 9/1053; and if he will make a statement; [107785]
(3) for what reasons document FCO 42/146 deposited in the Public Record Office is to remain closed to public inspection until 2009. [107448]
§ Mr. BattleThe subject matter of these three files is UK policy concerning Gibraltar in 1967–69. The respective file titles, which are given in shelf-lists available at the Public Record Office and on their web-site, are: possible UN mediation on Gibraltar; possible investigation by the Crowther Commission into the Constitution; and Gibraltar dispute.
An application to close FCO 42/146 and FCO 9/1053 for 10 years after their due release date of 1 January 1999 has been made to the Lord Chancellor in accordance with Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act of 1967. This is because release of these documents would harm the United Kingdom's international relations. The application to close the files in our view meets the criteria for extended closure of public records set out in Chapter 9.10–14 of the White Paper on Open Government (Cm. 2290). In accordance with the requirements of the White Paper, these files will be re-reviewed for release in 10 years time.
FCO 42/342 has recently been cleared for release to the Public Record Office and will be available there shortly.