{"id":1082,"date":"2024-12-09T21:18:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T21:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/national-archives.go-vip.net\/?page_id=1082"},"modified":"2025-06-19T14:32:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T14:32:04","slug":"retention-of-departmental-records","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/ga\/government-services\/retention-of-departmental-records\/","title":{"rendered":"Retention of departmental records"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<section id=\"block-block_0b7c79cbdde07a7698b07603f236b38e\" class=\"landing-page-header-block title-width-default block-color-dark-blue block-row-02-type-share block-row-02-share-position-bottom intro-full-width\" data-style=\"style-11\">    \n\n\t<div class=\"header \">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"translation-notice\">\n        <div class=\"inner container\">\n            <p><strong>Cuirfear aistri\u00fach\u00e1n ar f\u00e1il go luath<\/strong><\/p>\n            <p>\u00c1r leithsc\u00e9al as an m\u00edchaoithi\u00falacht. Cuirfear aistri\u00fach\u00e1n Gaeilge ar an leathanach seo ar f\u00e1il go luath. Go raibh maith agat as do chuid foighneachta agus muid ag obair ar leagan uasd\u00e1taithe.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"intro\">\n\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"heading-0\">Retention of departmental records<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<!-- mobile -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-row-02\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"share-button pulse fade-in\" data-js=\"share-button\">SHARE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text h3\"><p>Learn how Irish government departments can retain records instead of immediately transferring them to the National Archives. This page outlines the criteria for departmental records and the process for retaining them, including required forms and reviews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n\t<span class=\"notification-top\" data-js=\"share-copied\">URL copied to clipboard<\/span>\n\n\n<section id=\"block-block_7db36fa67707ad50c998bd8c446ab542\" class=\"content-tile-block nai-block margin-top-small margin-bottom-none image_right text-regular text-black bg-white no-border-top smaller-heading\" data-layout=\"layout-1-2\">        \n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image\" data-image=\"cover\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text-content cms-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The National Archives Act, 1986 1(2) defines the Department of State as not only the head office of a Department and its sub-offices, but also the courts and the bodies listed in the schedule of the Act. The term, therefore, refers to almost all bodies staffed by civil servants, including the Defence Forces and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na.<\/p>\n<h2>Definition of a departmental record<\/h2>\n<p>A departmental record is defined in the National Archives Act, 1986 2(2) as any record in any form made or received and held in the course of its business by a Department of State or any body which is a committee, commission or tribunal of enquiry appointed by the Government.<\/p>\n<p>It does not include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Instruments of title relating to property for the time being vested in the state.<\/li>\n<li>Any part of the permanent collection of a library, museum or gallery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to retain departmental records<\/h2>\n<p>A Certificate of Retention of Records, signed by the Certifying Officer in the department, must be sent to the Consenting Officer in the Department of the Taoiseach for approval.<\/p>\n<p>All Certificates of Retention of Records must be reviewed by the Certifying Officer every 5 years. Where a record is no longer required for business use, it must be transferred to the National Archives.<\/p>\n<h3>Completing a Certificate of Retention of Records under the National Archives Act, 1986 8(2)<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Before records can be retained by the Department of State under section 8(2), a Certificate of Retention of Records must be completed.<\/li>\n<li>The Certificate of Retention of Records must be completed on departmental headed paper and signed by the Certifying Officer.<\/li>\n<li>The Certificate should be attached to the schedule of records to be retained in the department and filed appropriately.<\/li>\n<li>The records are retained in the Department of State once the necessary permission has been obtained.<\/li>\n<li>A copy of the Certificate of Retention of Records, with a schedule of retained records (in paper and electronic format), must be sent to the Director of the National Archives and the Consenting Officer, Department of the Taoiseach.<\/li>\n<li>All Certificates of Retention of Records must be reviewed by the Certifying Officer every 5 years. Where a record is no longer required for the reasons stated above, it must be transferred to the National Archives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Sample certificates and forms<\/h3>\n<p>A sample certificate to retain records, or part of a record, under section 8(2), form Appendix 4 is available <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/ga\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20241110_Appendix_4.pdf\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A sample form to review records retained under section 8(6) and 10(5), form Appendix 7 is available <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/ga\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20241110_Appendix_7.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ctas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>    \n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"divider-block divider-03 \"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":316,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1082","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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