We strive to be an open and transparent organisation. In addition to responding to government’s requests for particular information to be published, we aim to proactively share as much information as possible and make it available on our website.
We often publish additional content to that which is required through the government’s transparency agenda and this type of additional or discretionary content will be clearly highlighted.
You can also find information we make available about our organisation by visiting our publication scheme pages. We will regularly add information to these pages.
Find information about our records and information management services used across government in information management reports and action plans.
For questions or queries about our transparency pages please contact transparency@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Much of the information on our Transparency pages is available on the data.gov.uk website.
In 2013 the government began its move towards releasing records when they are 20 years old, instead of 30.
Find out details of company directorship and other significant interests held by our Executive Directors and Non-executive Board members.
Find out details about our corporate governance policy which outlines the approach and arrangements to handling potential and perceived conflicts of interest (COI).
Find data on our electricity use and read about what we do to reduce our carbon emissions and promote biodiversity.
View how we spend public money and the financial information we submit to Treasury.
Discover how many Freedom of Information requests we receive and how we have responded to them.
See how many documents we deliver to the public and how people rate our services.
Find out the commitments the government has made in terms of procurement and contracting.
Find out how many documents we digitise and about the websites we make accessible through our web archive.
See how The National Archives is structured, find out about staff diversity and discover the results of our staff engagement survey.
Our takedown and reclosure policy describes the circumstances in which information in open records may be subsequently closed by The National Archives.
The National Archives holds more than 11 million public records at Kew on behalf of the UK Government. Our paper collection, housed on more than 200km of shelving, continues to grow every year. Occasionally a very small number of these files are found not to be in their correct location.
This document sets out the broad framework within which we operate as a non-ministerial department.
This document contains the terms of references of The National Archives' Board and its two sub-committees: the Audit and Risk Committee, and the Nominations and Governance Committee.
Through the Information Management Report (IMR), The National Archives drives compliance with the Public Records Act (PRA) and Section 46 Code of Practice and monitors the transition to the 20-year rule.
On 11 May 2020 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed in the UK understand how to work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Locally-based public sector organisations such as magistrates' courts, prisons, coroners’ courts or NHS bodies are required to transfer some of their records for historical preservation to 'places of deposit' – local archive services appointed by The National Archives under the Public Records Act 1958.