Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements in place permanently to preserve electronic communications, within and between Departments, for purposes of (a) political accountability and (b) the historical record; and what restrictions are currently in place on the use of private communication systems to conduct official business.

Guidance is provided in the Code of Practice on Records Management, issued under Section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This was updated and published in July 2021 (as outlined in the Written Statement of 15 July 2021, HCWS185). In 2018, the National Archives was commissioned to undertake a review of the Code. The Code was revised and updated on a principles-based, format-neutral basis, bringing the existing 2009 code up to date with contemporary information management practice and the modern digital working environment.

The Cabinet Office has also previously published guidance on how information is held for the purposes of access to information. Ministers and officials are also given advice on the security of electronic communications. We are keeping this matter under review, to ensure working practices reflect the use of modern technology available in the 21st Century.