Written question asked by Baroness Henig (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 February 2010.

National Archives

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to examine and report on the remit and management of Britain's archives and on the challenges facing the National Archives.

Answer: The Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Communities and Local Government, recently published Archives for the 21st Century, HM Government’s strategy for archives. It sets out key recommendations to sustain and develop the archival health of the nation. In addition, The National Archives recently worked with the Business Archives Council and other professional bodies to produce a strategy for promoting the professional management of records and archives of the business community. The National Archives is currently working with public and private sector archives to support the implementation of both of these strategies. The National Archives also undertakes regular inspections of places of deposit for public records, and provides advice and guidance for the benefit of the wider archival sector. The National Archives is an agency of the Ministry of Justice, reporting to the Secretary of State for Justice. The National Archives senior management team works closely with Ministry of Justice Ministers, and agrees an annual business plan and targets for their activities. They are currently operating under a five-year vision for the organisation that addresses its key challenges and has been discussed and agreed with Ministry of Justice Ministers.

Secondary information