1. NAS Government Records Branch: Overview
Bruno Longmore
Head of Government Records
The National Archives of Scotland

2. Scottish Perspective
Scotland governed by separate administration, legal system and separate Parliament
The National Archives of Scotland operates independently of The National Archives in London
Government Records Branch (GRB) operates under a separate legislative framework

3. Selection and Advice
Advise on matters affecting records management and archives
NAS oversees selection of records from two main stakeholders
The bodies created during devolution:
The Scottish Executive
The Scottish Parliament

5. The Scottish Executive
The Scottish Executive is the devolved government for Scotland
Responsible for any devolved issues affecting Scotland:
Include health, education, justice, rural affairs and transport (internal)
“Reserved” matters (i.e. those which concern the United Kingdom) remain with Westminster Parliament
constitution, defence, foreign policy, trade & industry, energy

7. The Scottish Parliament
Scotland granted Devolution under the Scotland Act 1998
Scottish Parliament has “devolved powers” within the United Kingdom
Essentially, these powers are defined by what it cannot rather than what it can do

8. Selection and Advice GRB oversees selection and gives advice to:
Scottish operations of UK government departments based in Scotland
Certain Scottish and UK government agencies
Advise on electronic records
The role of GFB within the NAS is to provide records to NAS management services

9. Cataloguing Branch After selection we catalogue those records
Information and catalogue details available on NAS website
2.8 million entries
383,213 are government entries

10. Main Legislation Public Records (Scotland) Act 1937
Permissive rather than proscriptive
Data Protection Act 1998
Ensures protection of personal data
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)
Most significant change affecting way in which public bodies deal with their records
Operates separately from UK Freedom of Information legislation

11. Impact of Freedom of Information
Abolition of traditional assumptions
government files no longer closed under a 30 year rule
Assumes that all records are open
unless exempt under the terms of FOISA
Review of formerly closed files
Duty to ensure good records management practice in government
Close liaison with new body - the Scottish Information Commissioner
Commissioner’s role is to interpret, promote and enforce the FoI Act