Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

The Cabinet Office is committed to meeting its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958 and we now release more records more often than ever before. The Cabinet Office is currently on track to transfer records on time as we transition to the 20 year rule. This year we will open records from 1995 and 1996 in compliance with the Public Records Act.

However, the Cabinet Office does not hold information about the number of individual records held so this figure could only be provided at disproportionate cost by counting each individual record. Records are retained in accordance with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1958.

The National Archives has recently assessed the Prime Ministerial and Cabinet Office’s compliance with the Public Records Act as good: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/manage-information/ima/ima-reports-action-plans/