Use of non-disclosure agreements

Request

I would like to request the following information concerning the use of non-disclosure agreements and settlement agreements containing confidentiality clauses with current or former members of staff.

For the purposes of this request, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is defined as any agreement, or any clause within a broader agreement, that prevents or restricts a departing or former employee from disclosing information about the circumstances of their departure, any workplace dispute, or any conduct by the authority or its staff. This includes, but is not limited to, standalone non-disclosure agreements and settlement agreements (formerly known as compromise agreements) that contain a confidentiality clause.

The request is as follows:

1.

a) In each calendar year from 2016 to the date of this request, how many settlement agreements or non-disclosure agreements meeting the above definition were concluded between the authority and current or former members of staff?

b) Please provide this information broken down by year. Where the number in a given year falls below five AND you consider that a precise figure risks identifying individuals, please amalgamate adjacent years so that each reported cell contains at least five agreements.

2.

a) In each of the same calendar years, what was the total value of financial payments made to employees as part of the agreements described above?

b) Please provide this information broken down by year, applying the same approach to aggregation as in Question 1.b) where necessary.

3.

a) Does the authority have any policy, guidance, or internal procedure governing the circumstances in which non-disclosure clauses may be included in settlement agreements or other agreements with departing staff? If so, please provide a copy or summary of that policy.

4.

a) What is the total headcount of the authority's workforce as of the most recent available date? Please state the date to which this figure relates.

Please cover the period from 1 January 2016 to the date of this request.

If possible, please provide this information in electronic format, for example as a PDF, CSV, or spreadsheet file.

Outcome

Some information provided.

Response

I can confirm that The National Archives holds some information relevant to your request, and we are pleased to be able to provide some of this information to you.

Your request and our response

1.

a) In each calendar year from 2016 to the date of this request, how many settlement agreements or non-disclosure agreements meeting the above definition were concluded between the authority and current or former members of staff?

The National Archives does not have summary information available.

b) Please provide this information broken down by year. Where the number in a given year falls below five AND you consider that a precise figure risks identifying individuals, please amalgamate adjacent years so that each reported cell contains at least five agreements.

As above, The National Archives does not have this summary information.

2.

a) In each of the same calendar years, what was the total value of financial payments made to employees as part of the agreements described above?

As we do not have this summary information, we are unable to determine this figure.

b) Please provide this information broken down by year, applying the same approach to aggregation as in Question 1.b) where necessary.

As above, The National Archives does not hold this information.

3.

a) Does the authority have any policy, guidance, or internal procedure governing the circumstances in which non-disclosure clauses may be included in settlement agreements or other agreements with departing staff? If so, please provide a copy or summary of that policy.

Please see attached Cabinet Office guidance published on gov.uk.

4.

a) What is the total headcount of the authority's workforce as of the most recent available date? Please state the date to which this figure relates.

As of the 30th of April 2026, The National Archives headcount is 680.