Explanatory note

These Regulations make provision for the disposal by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (“Keeper”) of any records, other than court records.

They provide that the Keeper may authorise the destruction of any such records (other than a record of an older date than the year 1707) where they are of insufficient value to justify their preservation (regulation 3(a)).

They also provide that the Keeper may dispose of any records which would more appropriately be in the custody of any person, body or institution other than the Keeper by trnasferring them to that person, body or institution (regulation 3(b)).

Before disposing of any records, however, the Keeper requires to obtain the consent of the Scottish Records Advisory Council and, in relation to particular records, certain other persons or bodies (regulation 4).

The Regulations revoke the Regulations made by the Lord Justice General and the Lord President and the Secretary of State in 1940 relating to the disposal of documents not to be preserved by the Keeper (SR and O 1940/2107) in so far as not previously revoked.