How does the Official Secrets Act relate to the 30-, 50- and 100-year rules for public records?
AAmong his other
achievements, Winston Churchill was a key figure in the creation of the Official Secrets Act 1911. Though this was not the first such act, it was notable because it introduced a single-sided piece of paper that those privy to ‘Official Secrets’ were required to sign. Breaking the act was (and still is) punishable by law.
Access to other records not covered by the Official Secrets Act is also restricted. It wasn’t until the Public Records Act 1958 that government documents, sensitive at the time of their drafting, were allowed to be downgraded and released into the public domain. This act set out how long documents were to be retained before transferral to the Public Record Office (now part of the National Archives).
Unless they were especially sensitive, records were to be transferred 30 years after their creation, and opened to the public after 50 years. A 1967 amendment changed the opening point from 50 to 30 years, meaning that the records would be available immediately upon their transfer. In 2010, the 30year rule became a 20-year rule. In addition, the 2000 Freedom of Information Act enables members of the public to request documents from specific government departments (though not all) after a shorter period of time since the date of their creation.
Some records belong to a special category to which the 100-year rule applies. Though odd files might be subject to indefinite periods of closure, only those containing personal information – such as military and census records – are closed for a standard 100 years. The reason for this is simple: 100 years is the assumed length of a person’s life.