Signed Instrument for the Retention of Public Records
New instrument to authorise the retention beyond 30 years of public records where this is necessary for national security reasons.
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The Public Records Act ordinarily requires that public records selected for permanent preservation at The National Archives are transferred before they are 30 years old. However, this requirement does not apply in certain circumstances where the Lord Chancellor has given his approval for their retention by the body holding them.
On 19 December 2011 the Lord Chancellor made a new instrument to authorise the retention beyond 30 years of public records where this is necessary for national security reasons.