Request
1. How many items at TNA are currently “Access Under Review”?
2. How many items were placed “Access Under Review” in each of the following years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018?
3. How many reviews of items placed “Access Under Review” were completed in each of the following years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018?
4. How many reviews of items placed “Access Under Review” have been completed so far in 2023?
5. How many of these reviews (per year) resulted in items being returned to public access?
Outcome
Some information provided.
Response
1. How many items at TNA are currently “Access Under Review”?
23,367 (as of 8th November 2023).
2. How many items were placed “Access Under Review” in each of the following years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018?
Due to the way data on AUR records is created and stored in our computer system, we do not hold this information. This is because we do not hold data on the full number of records that were placed AUR in these years. Many of these records have since been reclosed, retained or opened, and the system does not contain data regarding the prior insertion of an AUR status after its deletion.
However, we do hold information on the number of records that remain with an AUR status from the following years. This data was correct at the time of your request and is as follows:
2018: 197 items
2019: 18,498 items
2020: 415 items
2021: 428 items
2022: 159 items
Please note, all but 141 of the 18,498 records remaining as AUR since 2019 are AB and ES series records. These series were removed from access in their entirety at the request of the transferring department. These records are being reviewed by the department, which has assumed responsibility for deciding upon their return to public access (i.e., this is not being undertaken as part of TNA’s standard reclosure process).
Please note, it has also been the case that entire record series have occasionally been placed AUR for purposes unrelated to potential sensitivities under the FOI Act. For example, the entire FCO 141 series was placed AUR during 2022 in order to assess any potential health impact due to insecticide contamination. Previously open records in this series have since been returned to public access.
3. How many reviews of items placed “Access Under Review” were completed in each of the following years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018?
In response to our request of 17th November for further clarification, you specified that you were referring to records placed AUR ‘in line with TNA’s reclosure policy.’ We stated in our request for clarification that our interpretation of what was meant by a ‘review’ in the context of TNA’s reclosure policy was ‘the full process by which a record is first reviewed by a case handler in the FOI Centre, to check for potential sensitivities, to its presentation to the Reclosure Panel where a final decision is made regarding a record’s access status.’ You clarified that you were content with this interpretation. We stated that there were other means by which an AUR record may be reviewed (such as by transferring departments as part of their annual reviews), but that such reviews are not undertaken as part of the reclosure process.
This information is exempt under section 21 of the FOI Act as TNA has published annual reclosure figures since 2014. This information can be found in the link below:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/transparency/reclosure-panel/
For your convenience, however, this information has been collated below:
2018: 56 cases (covering 56 records) were agreed by the Reclosure Panel
2019: 26 cases (covering 26 records) were agreed by the Reclosure Panel
2020: 106 cases (covering 106 records) were agreed by the Reclosure Panel
2021: 59 cases (covering 59 records) were agreed by the Reclosure Panel
2022: 71 cases (covering 142 records) were agreed by the Reclosure Panel
This data is for piece-level rather than item-level records. A ‘piece’ may be split into multiple items.
4. How many reviews of items placed “Access Under Review” have been completed so far in 2023?
Please see the response to the Q3 regarding the interpretation of this question.
At the time of your request (8th November 2023), decisions have been reached by the Reclosure Panel on 270 records. This data is for piece-level records.
5. How many of these reviews (per year) resulted in items being returned to public access?
Please see the response to the Q3 regarding the interpretation of this question.
During 2023 (until 8th November 2023), out of the 270 cases decided upon by the Reclosure Panel, 42 records were returned to public access. 37 of these 42 records were released with redaction of information exempt under the FOI Act. The remaining 5 were released in full.
Information from 2018-2022 is exempt under section 21 of the FOI Act as TNA has published annual reclosure figures since 2014. This information can be found in the link below:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/transparency/reclosure-panel/
For your convenience, however, this information has been collated below:
2018: 16 with redactions
2019: 15 with redactions
2020: 32 with redactions
2021: 26 with redactions and 1 released in full
2022: 31 with redactions and 1 released in full
This data is for piece-level records.
Explanatory annexe
Exemptions applied
Section 21: Information readily available to the applicant by other means
Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) does not oblige a public authority to provide information if it is already reasonably accessible by other means.
Further guidance on the application of this exemption can be found at: Section 21 – information already reasonably accessible | ICO