The National Archives publication schemeThis is the introduction to The National Archives publication scheme. It is arranged as follows: The scheme itself follows this introduction or you can access it directly: Go to The National Archives publication scheme Printable version of The National Archives publication scheme About The National ArchivesThe National Archives is a government department; and also an executive agency of the Secretary of State for Justice. Its 580 staff work in Kew, in Norwich, at Admiralty Arch in central London and at the Family Records Centre in Islington. The National Archives brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty´s Stationery Office. The National Archives is at the heart of information policy - setting standards and supporting innovation in information and records management across the UK, and providing a practical framework of best practice for opening up and encouraging the re-use of public sector information. This work helps inform today´s decisions and ensure that they become tomorrow´s permanent record. The National Archives is also the UK government´s official archive, containing 900 years of history from Domesday Book to the present, with records ranging from parchment and paper scrolls through to recently created digital files and archived websites. Increasingly, these records are being put online, making them universally accessible. The National Archives' multiple roles and functions (excluding those of the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty´s Stationery Office which are set out in the Office of Public Sector Information publication scheme
Purpose of our publication schemeOne of the core aims of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is to encourage public authorities to be clear and proactive about the information they make available to the public. Section 19 of the Act requires all public authorities to have a Publication Scheme that has been approved by the Information Commissioner. Publication Schemes explain what information is made available as a matter of course, when and how you can see it, and whether the information is available free of charge or on payment. All public authorities must release the information promised in their schemes. Through our publication scheme, The National Archives is ensuring that a significant amount of information is regularly made available. The scheme allow quick and easy access to much material without any need for a formal written request. Some basic facts about our schemeOur scheme is available in two formats: on The National Archives website (from which a printable version is available) and in print. The scheme lists what are termed ´classes of information´. In all cases, the class is defined as the most specific level of entry. The classes are arranged within a hierarchical structure to make information easier to find. The scheme is divided into three broad categories:
These categories of information are further divided into more specific sub-categories. The general category, The National Archives as an organisation, for instance, consists of 11 sub-categories including ´Plans and Strategies´ and ´Finance and Contracts´. Individual classes sit within sub-categories. Most of the classes of information in the scheme apply to The National Archives as a whole. Where classes of information relate to only one part of the organisation, particularly where the class of information relates to activities carried out before the creation of The National Archives in 2003, an explanatory note has been added to the class. The term 'publication' refers to information available on our website, on our premises one-off printed documents from a desktop computer, electronic documents, some printed books, reports and leaflets. However, please note that our website contains further information that is not listed in our scheme. The scheme is not, generally, retrospective. For example, we have not prepared summaries of past meetings. Information will not necessarily be available through the scheme indefinitely. Information relating to a specific date, such as summaries of meetings, will be removed after five years; it will then only be available if an FOI request for information is made. Policies and similar documents will be removed when they are no longer current. Overall responsibility for the scheme is taken by the Director of the Strategy, Finance and Resources Group. Day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the scheme has been delegated to the Deputy Head of the Information Policy and Legislation Unit. The National Archives welcomes your feedback on this scheme. The National Archives welcomes your feedback on this scheme. If you do not have web access, you may email us at information.legislation@nationalarchives.gov.uk How we make information available, and what charges may applyInformation listed in the scheme will be made available in a number of ways. Note that information is not necessarily made available in all these ways; see individual classes for details of which options are available. Note also that information is made available in the language in which it is held. Translation is an added-value service which requires special arrangements and is not part of our normal response to a request for information. The availability options are:
Opening hours for the library and reading rooms at The National Archives in Kew and for the Family Records Centre in Islington are currently as follows:
Both The National Archives and the Family Records Centre are closed at Christmas and on public or bank holidays. The National Archives at Kew is also closed on Saturdays preceding Bank Holiday Mondays and during its annual stocktaking week, which normally takes place in the first week of December. Our chargesSome information is available free of charge; for other information a charge may be levied. The charge will vary according to how information is made available, which is specified for each class within the scheme. Charges will apply as follows:
The fees regime is reviewed annually in September. The introduction of any further statutory obligations will also trigger a review of these arrangements. Copyright and the publication schemeInformation available through the scheme is protected by Crown copyright unless otherwise indicated. The information contained in such Crown copyright protected material (except the Royal Arms and departmental or agency logos) may be copied, distributed or published free of charge in any format or medium, but only if it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. If you copy any of the Crown copyright information available through the scheme, distribute it to others or republish it, you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge its copyright status. Brief extracts or copies of any non-Crown copyright material included in the scheme may normally be published or reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for non-commercial research purposes, private study, criticism, review or current news reporting, so long as the publication or reproduction is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement identifying the work and the author. Fair dealing for the purposes of current news reporting does not apply to photographs. Any uses not covered by fair dealing will normally require permission from the copyright owners concerned. Crown copyright in the contents of unpublished public records is waived. For more details of the waiver see www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copyright/copyright-guidance/copyright-in-public-records.htm You are not allowed to publish facsimile duplicates of any materials you have obtained through the publication scheme without written permission from The National Archives image library. Please note that you may be required to pay a fee. More information is available on our copyright page. Access to personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998The Data Protection Act 1998 provides living individuals with a right of access to personal information held about them. The right applies to information in The National Archives' own administrative records and information in the archives (i.e., records transferred from other government departments) where it relates to identifiable living individuals. However, the right is subject to exemptions which will affect whether information is provided and requests will be dealt with on a case by case basis. If you believe The National Archives holds personal information about you, please send a request for access to our Reader Enquiry Service (see contact points below), marking it ´Data protection request´. Please indicate whether you believe the information about you is in our own records or in the archives, and provide as much detail as possible to help us find the information. A fixed fee of £10 may apply. Note that the Data Protection Act does not give third parties rights of access to personal information about living individuals for research purposes. Further information about how data protection affects us and the archives we hold is available on the data protection pages of our website. Environmental informationThe Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give rights of access to information about the environment. The rights apply to information in The National Archives' own administrative records and information in the archives (i.e., records transferred from other government departments). Some environmental information is made available through our publication scheme under the arrangements referred to in 'How we make information available, and what charges may apply'. Requests for environmental information should be directed to our Reader Enquiry Service (See contact points below). Please provide as much detail as possible to help us identify the information you are looking for. The Environmental Information Regulations can be purchased from The Stationery Office Ltd Complaints and appealsIf you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your request, with the fee we have charged, or with the reasons we have given for refusing to provide information, please complain to us directly in the first instance. Send your complaint to our Public Services Development Team (see contact points for the address). You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner, either directly, or if you are dissatisfied with our response to your complaint. See contact points below for the address. Contact pointsAll enquiries and requests for information should be directed as follows Please use the contact form on our website, if possible. If you do not have web access, you can email enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk Reader Enquiry Service Alternatively you can telephone +44 (0) 20 8876 3444 for advice on making a request for information. When making telephone requests, please be sure to provide full contact details including a telephone number so that we can clarify the details of your request, if necessary. Complaints Complaints should be made using our contact form, or by letter to: Public Services Development Team Alternatively you can telephone +44 (0) 20 8876 3444. If you do not have web access, you may email us at enquiry@nationalarchives.gov.uk Complaints to the Information Commissioner should be sent to foi-enquiries@ico.gsi.gov.uk FOI Compliance Team (Complaints) |
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