Politics

State papers: What files are being released this week?

Government documents are now being made public after 20 years, a reduction from 30

The decision to move to a 20-year rule follows the precedent set by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Photograph: Frank Miller

Tue Dec 28 2021 - 00:58

Government documents have normally been made available for public viewing after 30 years, but this gap is being reduced over time to 20 years thanks to legislative change in 2018.

Anglo-Irish records from the period 1992-1998 are being released this year, along with archives of Government departments for 1991.

Due in part to disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, the 30-year-old records being released by the National Archives are only those from the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General.

The decision to move to a 20-year rule follows the precedent set by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

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On Wednesday it is releasing 695 files, the majority of which relate to 1996, although some cover 1997 and later years. Of these, 565 are categorised as “fully open”. A further 132 files are open but subject to some “blanking out”, while just 31 files remain fully closed.

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