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<p /> <p>The Department’s policy on whether to retain or destroy a file is to follow
the cross-governmental guidance provided by The National Archives (TNA) where the
length of retention is allocated based on legal or business requirements and historical
importance. The result is that files are kept for different lengths of time depending
on their content. <br><br>Those files where another government department is the policy
lead or which contain minimal or duplicated content are kept for the shortest period
before destruction. This period could be up to 10 years. Those which contain papers
relating to issues such as legislation, major policies or notable events may be kept
for up to 25 years with some files being transferred to TNA following a review of
their importance in line with policy and their value for future historical research.
These arrangements have been in place since 1982, with the most recent review of procedures
having taken place in 2010.</p><p />
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