Suffolk Archives

FOI request reference: CAS-103471-G1D9X9
Publication date: January 2023

Request

I request all documentation concerning the Archive Service Accreditation of the Suffolk Record Office service (now called ‘Suffolk Archives’) produced or received since that which was included in your response to an earlier request on this same matter sent on 30 September 2021 (this earlier request, and your response to it, can be viewed at this link:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/suffolk_record_office_documentat#incoming-1921476

This to include details of the November 2022 meeting of the Archive Service Accreditation Panel – where it is understood the said archives service’s accreditation was reviewed; as well as details of the recent presentation of an accreditation certificate made to the said service at ‘The Hold’ in Ipswich.

Outcome

Information provided

Response

I can confirm that The National Archives holds information relevant to your request and we are pleased to be able to provide you with some of the documents you have requested.

We are unable to provide you with some of the information you have requested because it is covered by the exemption at section 40(2) of the FOI Act, which exempts from release personal information about a ‘third party’ (someone other than the requester), if revealing it would breach the terms of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998.

We have searched our records and found the following documents to be of relevance to the first part of your request (Please find attached the PDF documents below):

1. Email inviting Suffolk Record Office to their regular Accreditation review in 2023.
As the service’s status has not been reviewed since September 2021 there is no other programme documentation around the service’s Accreditation status since the previous enquiry.
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/01-three-year-review-stage-for-asa-sro.pdf

2. Email about the schedule for the next Accreditation application
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/02-accreditation-application.pdf

2a. Accredited Archive Service Application Form June 2021
Suffolk Archives’ accreditation was not reviewed at the November 2022 Accreditation Panel meeting, nor is it under consideration for the next Panel meeting. TNA therefore do not hold this information.
However, a presentation for the provisional Accreditation certificate to Suffolk Archives was held on November 11th, 2022. This was done as part of a wider visit to The Hold by TNA CEO Jeff James, Valerie Johnson (Director of Research and Collections) and Baroness Ros Scott (non-executive director at TNA). We found the following documents to be relevant to the second part of your request:
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/2a-review-accredited-archive-service-application-form-june21.pdf

3. Arranging TNA visit to The Hold, Ipswich
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/03-arranging-tna-visit-the-hold-11-nov.pdf

4. Arranging tour of The Hold Accreditation presentation
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/04-arranging-tour-the-hold-accreditation-presentation.pdf

5. CEO Briefing template – Suffolk Archives v1
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/05-2022-ceo-brieifng-template-suffold-archives-v1.pdf

6. Sector visit to The Hold Suffolk Archives REVISED
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/06-sector-visit-the-hold-suffolk-archives.pdf

7. Accreditation presentation to Suffolk Archives v.1
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/07-accreditation-presentation-suffolk-archives-v2.pdf

8. Dates for a visit to The Hold in Ipswich
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/08-dates-for-visit-the-hold.pdf

9. Press Release – The National Archives Visit
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/09-press-release-tna-visit.pdf

9a. TNA visit PR – version 5 – with TNA quote
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/9a-tna-visit-pr-v5-with-quote.pdf

10. Press release re visit/presentation at The Hold, 11 November
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/10-press-release-visit-presentation-the-hold-
11nov.pdf

10a. TNA visit PR – version 4
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/10a-tna-visit-pr-v4.pdf

10b. TNA visit PR – version 5 – with TNA quote
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/10b-tna-visit-pr-v5-with-quote.pdf

11. Press release re visit_ presentation at The Hold, 11 November
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/11-press-release-re-visit-presentation-the-hold-11nov.pdf

11a. Archive Service Accreditation is the UK standard for archive services v1
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/11a-archive-service-accreditation-uk-standard-v1.pdf

12. Correspondence RE Suffolk Archives visit photos
https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/12-suffolk-archives-visit-photos.pdf

Explanatory Annex

Exemptions applied
Section 40(2): Personal Information where the applicant is not the data subject
Section 40 exempts personal information about a ‘third party’ (someone other than the requester), if revealing it would breach the terms of Data Protection Legislation. Data Protection Legislation prevents personal information from release if it would be unfair or at odds with the reason why it was collected, or where the subject had officially served notice that releasing it would cause them damage or distress. Personal information must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner as set out by Art. 5 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

In this case the exemption applies because the requested material contains information which would identify junior members of staff.

Publishing the names and contact details of junior members of staff is considered an unfair use of personal data. Junior members of staff would have no expectation that information about their positions would be made available in the public domain; to do so would be unfair and contravene the first data protection principle of the Data Protection Act. As such, the names, positions and contact details of junior officials are withheld under section 40 (2) of the FOI Act.

Further guidance about the publication of junior staff names can be found here:

https://ico.org.uk/media/fororganisations/documents/1187/section_40_requests_for_personal_data_about_employees.pdf

In this case the exemption applies because the requested material contains the personal and the sensitive personal information of a number of identified individuals assumed still to be living. These individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy which would not include the release of this information into the public domain by The National Archives during their lifetime. To do so would be likely to cause damage and/or distress and would be a breach of the first data protection principle, which is concerned with the fair, lawful and transparent processing of information of this kind.

Further guidance on the application of this exemption cab be found here:
https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/2619056/s40-personal-information-section-40-regulation-13.pdf