The Public Records Act 1967[1] (c. 44) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during Harold Wilson's Labour government.
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to reduce the period of fifty years specified in section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958 as that for which certain public records must have been in existence for them to be available for public inspection. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1967 c. 44 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 July 1967 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1968[2] |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Act amended the Public Records Act 1958 by reducing the period whereby public records (apart from those deemed "sensitive" by the Lord Chancellor) were closed to the public from fifty years to thirty years, the "thirty-year rule". It took effect on 1 January 1968.[3][4]
The effect of the Act was to make the public records of the First World War available, but the records from the Second World War did not become available until 1972.[5]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b Short title as conferred by s. 2 of the Act
- ^ The Public Records Act 1967, section 2(2)
- ^ The Public Records Act 1967, section 2(2)
- ^ History of the Public Records Acts
- ^ History of the Public Records Acts