Keeping records

Information is not kept indefinitely because of the significant costs associated with storing and maintaining information and the more information is kept, the harder it may be to locate and retrieve specific information when someone requests it. Public authorities maintain information retention schedules which detail how long information must be kept for.

These schedules are maintained in line with any law and standards that relate to information – for example keeping financial records for audit purposes. Some information is also passed to the Public Record Office for permanent preservation.