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Written question asked by Laurence Turner (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 September 2025. It was answered by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 September 2025 on behalf of the Home Office.

Bombings: Birmingham

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds historic records relating to the Birmingham pub bombings that have not been deposited in the National Archives.

Answer

I can confirm that the Home Office do hold historic records relating to the horrific 1974 Birmingham Pub bombings that have not yet been deposited in the National Archives.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, files can be retained by Government departments for a range of reasons, including if such documents pertain to national security matters or if they relate to ongoing investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities. For these reasons, it has been the long standing position of the Home Office under successive governments to retain the aforementioned documents, like all security matters, this decision is kept under regular review.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
70162
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Bombings Birmingham Public houses Public records National Archives
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk