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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Secret papers face faster release | Secret papers face faster release |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The 30-year rule on publishing confidential UK government papers should be reduced to 15 years, an official review is expected to say. | The 30-year rule on publishing confidential UK government papers should be reduced to 15 years, an official review is expected to say. |
| The independent review, headed by the editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, was set up by Gordon Brown shortly after he became prime minister. | The independent review, headed by the editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, was set up by Gordon Brown shortly after he became prime minister. |
| Most papers are transferred to the National Archives after 30 years. | Most papers are transferred to the National Archives after 30 years. |
| The review recommends moving towards the change to 15 years by releasing an additional year's records each year. | The review recommends moving towards the change to 15 years by releasing an additional year's records each year. |
| Key decisions | |
| This means anyone hoping for a speedy revelation of secrets from the mid-1990s is likely to be disappointed. | This means anyone hoping for a speedy revelation of secrets from the mid-1990s is likely to be disappointed. |
| However, relaxation of the rules could mean that papers from the early 1980s, covering decisions made by the Thatcher government during the Falklands War and the miners strike, could be released slightly earlier. | |
| At present, some papers are released sooner than 30 years as a result of Freedom of Information requests while a few are kept private for longer. | |
| The Public Records Act 1958 introduced the right of access to government records with a 50-year rule, which was reduced to 30 years in 1967. | The Public Records Act 1958 introduced the right of access to government records with a 50-year rule, which was reduced to 30 years in 1967. |
| Freedom of Information campaigners have called for a reduction in the time limit to 15 years, if necessary in two stages. | |
| In its submission to the Dacre review, the Campaign for Freedom of Information said the introduction of FOI laws had undermined the principle of the 30-year rule. | |
| But sceptics say releasing papers relating to crucial government decisions earlier could make politicians and their advisers less frank in expressing their views and recording them at the time. | |
| Also sitting on the review panel with Mr Dacre were historian Professor Sir David Cannadine and Sir Joseph Pilling, former Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office. | Also sitting on the review panel with Mr Dacre were historian Professor Sir David Cannadine and Sir Joseph Pilling, former Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office. |
| The government will decide whether or not to act on their recommendations. | The government will decide whether or not to act on their recommendations. |
| The latest papers to be released under the 30-year rule, at the end of last year, covered events in 1978. | |
| These revealed, among other things, the then Prime Minister Jim Callaghan's concerns about the country's ability to defend itself against a Russian attack. |