TNA itself (details are on their website). For retained records, FOI requests should be made to the FCO (details are on the FCO site on gov.uk) Why retain a document when just one word might be sensitive?
The Waldegrave Initiative in 1993 introduced the major change of redacting rather than retaining a document or closing a whole file. Redaction is now done on a word by word basis. However, when the context would make a missing name too obvious, surrounding text may need to be redacted.
Specific records—No files in TNA relating to black Political Activists in London from the 1920s
It would be difficult and time-consuming for us to try to establish whether any documentation still exists on “keep and destroy” decisions for this period and on this subject. In terms of current practice, a record of all keep and destroy decisions is kept electronically while in the past keep and destroy decisions were recorded by “stamping off” registers to indicate that files were destroyed. We are sometimes able to work back through past registers to establish what has been destroyed, but unless we know the file reference and/or the subject matter is very specific this can be difficult especially for older material.
How can historians help the FCO better prioritise material for release?
IMD will better prioritise the release of files by understanding the audience’s needs. Currently for the annual release of files, priority is currently given to those records in file series which TNA has identified as being most frequently requested.
What form will electronic archives take on transfer?
The FCO will transfer material in digital format and it will be accessed in that format at TNA.
Will migrated archive material be returned to its countries of origin?
No—they have been classed as UK Public Records. Digitising or copying the migrated archives for individual countries would be a huge resource issue for the FCO.
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