Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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675. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff employed in her Department's archive unit in each of the years 2010 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; her plans to expand this number; if there are protocol changes arising from changes to the National Archive Acts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19619/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for records management and the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986 is dispersed across the Business Units in my Department. There is no central Archives Unit. In accordance with the National Archives Act, 1986, Regulations 1988, the Secretary General has appointed officers of not less than Principal Officer and equivalent grades as Certifying Officers for the purpose of the National Archives Act, 1986. The role of the Certifying Officer is to sign the Certificates provided for in Sections 7 and 8 of the Act which relate, respectively, to the retention and disposal of Departmental records and the transfer of Departmental records to the National Archives. The Freedom of Information Unit in my Department provides advice and promotes best practice with regard to records management and the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986 in the Business Units across my Department.

While it is proposed to amend the National Archives Act, 1986 to reduce the period after which records are to be transferred to the National Archives from 30 years to 20 years on a phased basis, Department by Department, there are currently no plans to increase the number of staff in my Department whose work relates to records management and archiving. Officials in my Department regularly engage with officials in the National Archives Office for the purpose of availing of their advice and guidance with regard to the implementation of the National Archives Act, 1986.