Explanatory note

This Order sets out the transitional arrangements that are to apply following the commencement for certain purposes of section 45(1)(a) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

The commencement of that provision takes effect from 1st January 2013, by virtue of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (Commencement No. 7) Order 2012, for the purposes of all records except those specified in the Schedule to that Order. The result is that records not specified in the Schedule will be required to be transferred in accordance with section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958 no later than 20 years following the date of their creation, subject to transitional and saving provision made by this Order. By contrast, records specified in the Schedule will continue to be subject to that obligation 30 years from the date of their creation. Transfer of records under section 3(4) is either to the Public Record Office (which exercises its functions as part of The National Archives) or another place of deposit appointed for the purpose by the Lord Chancellor.

Article 1(2) of this Order defines records to which the commencement of section 45(1)(a) applies as “relevant records”.

Article 2(1) provides that, notwithstanding the commencement of section 45(1)(a), relevant records will, for a period of 10 years beginning on 1st January 2013, be subject to the transitional arrangements set out in article 2(2). Article 2(2) provides that a record created in a year specified in column 1 of the table in Schedule 1 must be transferred no later than the end of the year specified in the corresponding entry in column 2.

Article 3 makes saving provision so that relevant records created in 1983 continue, notwithstanding the commencement of section 45(1)(a), to be subject to an obligation to transfer records under section 3(4) when they are 30 years old.