The extension from five to ten years of the restriction on Government records is the fundamental reason that the Bill has been brought forward. The Labour Party's suggestion – that a Government which runs for a full five-year term should be given an additional year – was sensible. The extra year would have provided breathing space for a Government and would have given it time to create a distance between the end of an old Administration and the start of a new one. The idea seemed to offer the Government the latitude and leeway it needs, but it was turned down.