§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what the policy of his Department and the Strategic Rail Authority is in respect of historic railway documents previously kept in the British Railways Board Records Centre; [152366]
59W(2) if it is the policy of his Department and the Strategic Rail Authority to sell the British Railways Board Records Centre, London W2; [152365]
(3) what consultation takes place with Railtrack before railway records relating to the railway infrastructure are disposed of; [152368]
(4) if it is the policy of his Department and the Strategic Rail Authority permanently to transfer records from the British Railways Board Records Centre to Railtrack and to the Public Record Office. [152367]
§ Mr. HillThe great majority of the British Railways Board's (BRB's) responsibilities have been assumed by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) as a consequence of the Transport Act 2000. The management of the BRB records is, therefore, a matter for the SRA. With the ending of the BRB's operational responsibilities, a decision was made in 1997 to rationalise the archive and to retain only those documents necessary to meet the on-going requirements of the Board to deal with its continuing legal liabilities. Under an appraisal process agreed by the Public Record Office (PRO) and the Railway Heritage Committee, records of historical importance are being deposited with the PRO or County Record Offices. Railtrack (and where appropriate any other successor body) are being advised of those records in which they may have an interest for the on-going running of the railway. The building in which the former BRB Records Centre is housed is now much larger than that appropriate for the number of records held and will be sold in due course.