Please note: This page refers to previous iterations of the Records Transfer Report (RTR) up till 2016. The RTR has now been replaced by the Information Management Report (IMR). You can find the latest information on the IMR here.
Government departments that transfer records to The National Archives provide data on the volume and transfer status of the records they hold. This data has been collected in Spring and Autumn each year, beginning in Autumn 2012. From 2017, departments will provide data once a year (starting from February 2017). The National Archives will use data collected from previous surveys to monitor compliance and assist departments in managing the transfer process and identifying need for additional resources.
Access the record transfer report
The file shows the data provided by Government departments that transfer records to The National Archives. The 21 departments that transfer 90% of the records sent to The National Archives each year are listed in A-Z order, with the data from the remaining departments included in the report then also listed alphabetically.
Record transfer report Autumn 2016 (XLS, 108KB)
Record transfer report Autumn 2016 (CSV, 50KB)
Legacy, current and forecast figures
Government bodies that transfer records to The National Archives provide data on the volume of records they hold in the following categories:
- legacy – records due for transfer or disposal by the previous year and now overdue
- current – records due for transfer or disposal in the current year
- forecast – records due for transfer or disposal next year
Retention Instruments
Public records selected for permanent preservation should be transferred to The National Archives or an approved place of deposit by the time the records become historical records, unless the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport authorises a department to keep them for longer. This approval is recorded in the Retention Instruments. For independent advice on questions relating to access to public records, the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport refers to the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.
Figures provided are split into records covered by a Retention Instrument and records not covered by a Retention Instrument.
Comments
Explanatory comments are given by departments to accompany the survey data with further information provided by some departments on their websites. The number of records shown as being planned for transfer is a forecast of how many records will be transferred to The National Archives by the end of the calendar year.
Previous reports
See data for previous record transfer reports:
Spring 2016
Record transfer report Spring 2016 (XLS, 180 KB)
Record transfer report Spring 2016 (CSV, 53 KB)
Autumn 2015
Record transfer report Autumn 2015 (XLS, 102 KB)
Record transfer report Autumn 2015 (CSV, 53 KB)
Spring 2015
Record transfer report Spring 2015 (XLS, 102 KB)
Record transfer report Spring 2015 (CSV, 53 KB)
Autumn 2014
Record transfer report Autumn 2014 (XLS, 121 KB)
Record transfer report Autumn 2014 (CSV, 27 KB)
Spring 2014
Record transfer report Spring 2014 (XLS, 75 KB)
Record transfer report Spring 2014 (CSV, 21 KB)
Find out more
- Access a summary of the public records transferred to The National Archives each year
- Read more about the 20-year rule
- Find out how the records transfer process works
- Read about the legislation that shapes how the government record is managed
- Governance
- 20-year rule
- Energy, environment and sustainability
- How we spend public money
- Freedom of information requests
- Our public services
- Tenders and contracts
- Digitisation and digital archives
- Our staff
- Reclosure Panel
- Misplaced items
- Information Management Report
- COVID-19 secure risk assessment
- Record transfer report for local bodies
- Modern slavery statement