Written question asked by Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative) on Monday, 16 March 2015, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 March 2015. It was answered by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative) on Monday, 23 March 2015 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Unidentified Flying Objects

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 10 March (HL5350), why the timescale for the transfer of the 18 unidentified flying object files from the Ministry of Defence to the National Archives has been delayed from the end of 2014, as previously announced, to late 2015 or early 2016.

Answer: The schedule for the transfer of files from the Ministry of Defence to The National Archives consists of around 10,000 files per annum. The schedule is continually updated to take into account changes in priority and progress on different record sets. Additional processing requirements on the unidentified flying object files and focus on other Departmental records from the period 1982 - 1986 led to a change in the planned transfer date to late 2015 or early 2016. The Ministry of Defence will, however, continue to discuss with The National Archives if the 18 unidentified flying object files can be transferred earlier

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL5778
Session: 2014-15
Related items: Unidentified Flying Objects
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Disclosure of information Ministry of Defence Departmental records National Archives Unidentified flying objects
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk