§ Norman BakerTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the extent of preserved police special branch historical records, and his policy in respect of release of such material into the Public Record Office. [28626]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe records of the Metropolitan police special branch created up to April 2000 are designated public records and are subject to the review and disposal requirements of the Public Records Act 1958.
During the review process records that are of no historical importance nor of continued administrative use are routinely destroyed. Records that have a long-term historical value are selected for preservation and are transferred to the Public Record Office where they are to be found in class MEPO 38. The records in the class cover a wide range of subjects and are intended to reflect the range of duties performed by the branch. They include both policy files and individual case papers. The earliest surviving records of the branch date from 1888.
The MEPO 38 class currently holds records created for the most part up to 1936. Of these, a number are still withheld from public inspection. They are being assessed for continuing sensitivity using the criteria set out in the 1993 White Paper, "Open Government", (Cm 2290), and will be made available to the public when no longer considered sensitive according to those criteria.
Records created after 1936 are also being reviewed and those of historical importance will be selected for permanent preservation.