How does the UK Public Records Act decide when government records go to The National Archives?

The decision turns on two linked judgments: whether a record has enduring value worth preserving permanently, and when it should physically and legally move from the creating department to The National Archives (TNA). The Public Records Act provides the legal framework; the day-to-day decisions rest on appraisal and selection practice shared between government departments and TNA.

Selection: deciding what is worth keeping

Most government records are not kept forever. Departments review the records they create and apply retention rules to decide which to destroy once their administrative, legal, and operational usefulness has ended, and which have lasting historical or evidential value.

Records chosen for permanent preservation are those that document how government made decisions, exercised powers, and affected people’s lives. This appraisal process — assessing records against their continuing value — is a core records-management discipline, mirroring international good practice for evaluating and disposing of records.

Transfer: when records move to TNA

Records selected as worthy of permanent preservation are transferred to The National Archives so they can be cared for and, in time, made available to the public. Historically the principle was that records should be transferred and opened after a set number of years; this period was progressively reduced, so that records now generally transfer and open earlier than under the original arrangements.

In practice, the timing depends on:

• Age and review status — records are reviewed as they reach the point where transfer is due.
• Sensitivity — some records may be retained longer by the department, or transferred but closed for a period, where release would cause harm (for example to national security or personal privacy).
• Format and condition — records must be in a state fit for long-term preservation, increasingly including born-digital material.

Who decides

Departments make the first-line selection and transfer proposals; The National Archives provides guidance, sets standards, and oversees the framework, with independent oversight of how records are appraised, retained, and opened. This division — creators apply the rules, the national archive sets and supervises them — keeps decisions consistent and accountable.

For related concepts on public access and government recordkeeping, see the FOIA and public records hub.

The headline answer: a record goes to The National Archives when it has been appraised as having permanent value and has reached the point in its lifecycle — balancing age against sensitivity — at which transfer and, where appropriate, public release become due.