Records management guidelines
The National Archives Act, 1986 only applies to departmental records over 30 years old, with the exception of applications for disposal, which can be made at any point in the lifecycle of a record series.
Statutory responsibility for records management in the civil service rests with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In the absence of a standardised approach to records management across the civil service, the National Archives will give guidance to Departments of State, the Courts and public bodies subject to the National Archives Act, 1986 in the management of their records. Compliance with the National Archives Act, 1986 by Departments of State will help ensure that only those records worthy of permanent preservation as archives are retained beyond their original business or legal function. This will also increase compliance with other statutory obligations and help protect the historical record of Ireland. The transfer of backlogs of records from Departments of State will facilitate historical research and reduce the current over-reliance on commercial storage providers.
The National Archives has produced a number of guidance notes on GDPR, disposal of FOI case files and disposal of PQ case files.