§ Baroness Masham of Iltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why files that remain closed are listed in the computerised catalogue of the Public Records Office; whether this is consistent with their policy on open government; and, if not, whether they have plans to review the Public Record Act 1958. [HL5953]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg):In accordance with the Open Government Code, it is the Public Record Office's policy to provide a comprehensive catalogue of records accessioned by the PRO, including those which are not yet available for public inspection. Of the 9,458,022 records listed on the Public Record Office computerised catalogue (PROCAT), some 344,274 (3.6 per cent) fall into this category. Over two-thirds of these (243,087) are records that are subject to the 30-year rule, in accordance with the Public Records Act 1967, and are not due to he opened until 2003 or later. The remainder (101,187) are subject to extended closure beyond the standard 30-year period, a procedure that requires the authorisation of the Lord Chancellor through a statutory instrument.
The Lord Chancellor has asked the Keeper of Public Records to start work with other government departments on the need for a review of the Public Records Acts, and other legislative provisions for records and archives. This review will not affect the closure period applying to public records which, from January 2005, will be governed by the Freedom of Information Act rather than the Public Records Acts.
§ Baroness Masham of Iltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many files in the Public Record Office remain closed beyond the 30-year rule; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of closed files together with the reason for closure and the date on which they may be inspected by the public. [HL5954]
§ The Lord Chancellor:Of the 9,458,022 accessioned records held at the Public Record Office, some 101,187 (1 per cent) remain closed beyond the standard 30-year closure period.
To close a record for more than 30 years requires the consent of the Lord Chancellor and is authorised by a statutory instrument. The statutory instrument usually contains a brief description of the record and its closure status. A set of these instruments is publicly available in the reading rooms at Kew.
Details of all the PRO's records, including descriptions, access conditions and closure dates, are 2WA held electronically on the PRO catalogue (PROCAT). This can be accessed directly by members of the public at the following address: http://www.pro.gov.uk/catalogues/default.htm