2015 Annual Release
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2015 ANNUAL RELEASE RELEASE OF 1987 FILES LIST OF OPEN FILES AUGUST 2015 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Department of Agriculture 6 Central Secretariat 18 Ministry of Commerce 26 Department of Economic Development 28 Department of Finance & Personnel 47 Department of Manpower Services 61 Department of Education 63 Department of Employment & Learning 71 Department of Environment 72 Department of Health & Social Services 96 Northern Ireland Assembly 107 Northern Ireland Office 108 Policy Co-Ordinating Committee 118 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Crown Copyright 2015 Introduction The files are being released under the 30/20 Year Rule. The annual release of selected official files continues against a background of greater public access through the Freedom of Information Act balanced against the need to protect personal information. The FOI Act (2000) created a new access to information regime and all records were reviewed in accordance with both that Act and the Data Protection Act. Annually since 1976, official records held by PRONI which were 30 years old have been reviewed with a view to making them publicly available (“the 30 year rule). In September 2011, the Assembly accepted a Legislative Consent Motion to reduce the time limit for release from 30 years to 20 years (“the 20 year Rule”). This is underpinned by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the amendments made to it by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The 20 Year Rule is being phased in over 10 years, with two years worth of records being reviewed and released each year. This year, the records of NI Departments and the NIO with terminal dates of 1987 are being brought forward for release during August 2015 and the records of 1988 will be brought forward in December 2015. This process involves the referral of the files to the Responsible Authority for sensitivity review. This entails a page by page examination to ensure that a record contains nothing sensitive as defined by the FOI Act and DP Act. Records Released These files are available to the media in advance of their release to the public on the strict understanding that there is an embargo on publication or broadcast until 00.01hrs on Friday 21st August 2015. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 3 Crown Copyright 2015 542 files being deemed as suitable for release as “fully open”. A further 150 files are open but subject to blanking out of some content. 108 files remain closed in full, the bulk of which are individual prisoner files. The main file series being released includes Central Secretariat and Northern Ireland Office files. Some of the main issues covered by the 1987 release include: • Anglo Irish Agreement • Meetings with NI political parties • Economic cooperation and negotiations (involving Ireland, UK, USA and Europe) • The MacBride Principles (on discrimination in the workplace) • High level and operational security matters (including on the border and within the penal system) • Children and young people in care and the prevention of abuse • European Convention on Human Rights and political prisoners • Homelessness • Drug addiction • Cross border cooperation • Supergrass arrangements (also known as ‘Converted Terrorists’) • Extradition arrangements • Community Groups • Loyalist political prisoner protests • Major investigation into alleged abuse of female political prisoners (whilst undergoing strip search protocols), at HMP Armagh • Chernobyl Records may be closed either fully or in part only. Blanking out involves the removal of a limited number of papers from the file that have been deemed as exempt from the right to know under FOI. To facilitate the release of as much information as possible, redaction can be used to blank out sensitive data within individual documents that would otherwise prevent release. All information which is withheld in Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 4 Crown Copyright 2015 the manner outlined above, however, must be retained in accordance with the exemptions contained within the FOI Act. In the majority of cases, the reason for extended closure was the application of section 40 – the personal information exemption – of the FOI Act. This means that personal information is exempt from the right to know if it would breach the Data Protection principles. The catalogue of files for 1987 will be publicly available online on PRONI website from Friday 21st August 2015 and files will be available to view at PRONI from Friday 21st August. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 5 Crown Copyright 2015 Department of Agriculture PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/5/6/74 1985-1987 Northern Ireland Weather Radar Project Steering Group. DD/27/85 Open 2015 AG/5/6/75 1985-1987 Financial Statements 1985/86 Policy. DD/97/85 Open 2015 AG/5/6/76 1986-1987 Belfast Action Teams (B.A.T.S.) Inter Departmental Working DD/113/86 part 1 Open 2015 Group. AG/5/6/77 1987-1987 Outline of Northern Ireland Agriculture - Revision. DD/91/87 Open 2015 AG/5/6/78 1987-1987 Economic Statistics Group - Wider Concept of Economic DD/127/87 Open 2015 Priority. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 6 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/5/6/79 1987-1987 82nd Meeting of the Drainage Council for Northern Ireland. DD/59/87 Open 2015 AG/6/1/151A 1984-1987 (1) Minutes of Fisheries Conservancy Board. (2) Minutes of FH/72A pt 1 Open 2015 Executive Committee of FCB. AG/6/1/152A 1986-1987 FCB - General Correspondence includes:- (Photocopies of FH 72 pt3 Open 2015 Minutes of F.C.B. and Executive Committee of FCB). AG/6/1/153 1983-1987 Fisheries Conservancy Board Annual Report. FH 5379/FCB part Open 2015 3 AG/6/7/29A August 1987 - Ministerial Briefs Minutes and Meetings. 6776 Part 12 Open 2015 December 1987 AG/12/19 1987-1987 Devaluation of Green Pound. H58 Open 2015 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 7 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/15/53 August 1987- Milk Policy Review Organisation. MG 3160 Open 2015 November 1987 AG/17/142A 1983-1987 Illegal Importation's (Cross Border Smuggling) Policy - B 162/83 Open 2015 Cattle and Sheep. AG/17/145 1986-1987 The Beef Variable Premium Scheme (BVPS) - Imports of BV 3.6.3/1986 Open 2015 ROI Beef into the UK. AG/17/147 1983-1987 N.I./U.K. Market Situation. BV 12.4/83 Open 2015 AG/20/1/20 1986-1987 International Fund. S12/85/86 Open 2015 AG/24/1/1A 1985-1987 Non Departmental Public Bodies. 1/39 Open 2015 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 8 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/24/1/2 1985-1987 Anglo Irish Agreement - 1985 - CAP Negotiations. 1/50 Open 2015 AG/32/2 1983-1987 Privatisation of A.I. Service. 14/87 Open 2015 AG/33/49 1972-1987 Tuberculosis Policy and Legislation - Northern Ireland & A-7-9-1-1-2 Open 2015 Great Britain 1/75 - 12/80. AG/33/61 1980-1987 Tuberculosis / Brucellosis - Divisional Veterinary Officer Open 2015 Monthly Statistics (Manual). AG/33/73 1986-1987 Tuberculosis Audits Public Accounts Committee (PAC) - 7-9-9-4-1 Open 2015 Northern Ireland Office (NIO) 1986/87. AG/33/74 1987 Tuberculosis Policy and Legislation - Northern Ireland and A-7-9-1-1-9 Open 2015 Great Britain Jan 87-Dec 87. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 9 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/33/75 1987 Committee Of Public Accounts - Tuberculosis and 7-9-5-14-1 Open 2015 Brucellosis Eradication. AG/33/76 1987 Enzootic Bovine Leucosis (EBL). A-7-3-1-7 Open 2015 AG/33/77 1987 Tuberculosis - Badgers - Thornton Survey - Density and 7-9-6-4 Open 2015 Distribution of Badgers in South West England 1987. AG/34/1 1986-1987 D.A.N.I. - Sheep Development. S10.10/91 Open 2015 AG/49/2/8 1987 Estimates of Area and Production of Hay and Silage, 1977- Open 2015 1986. AG/49/2/9 1987 Tables of Area and Production of Hay, Dec. 1986. Open 2015 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 10 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/49/2/10 1987 Statistical Review of Northern Ireland Agriculture, 1986. Open 2015 AG/49/2/11 1987 Tables of Agricultural Statistics Relating to Crops, Livestock Open 2015 and Farm Employment, June 1987. AG/58/15 1985-1987 R & D - Flax Production Studies. A 15/85 Open 2015 AG/58/16 1985-1987 Courses - Agric Training - General Correspondence. A 41/85 Open 2015 AG/58/24 1985-1987 Meetings Head of Division - Monthly Reports Food Division. L439/85 Open 2015 AG/60/2/182 1977-1987 Sheep Housing. 2801 Open 2015 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 11 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/60/2/183 1977-1987 Sheep Housing. 2802 Open 2015 AG/60/2/184 1977-1987 Milking Parlour. 2803 Open 2015 AG/60/2/185 1977-1987 Milking Parlour. 2804 Open 2015 AG/60/2/186 1977-1987 Feeding System for Dairy Cows. 2806 Open 2015 AG/60/2/189 1977-1987 Farm Machinery: Forage Wagan. 2814 Open 2015 AG/60/2/190 1977-1987 Cleaning of Poultry House. 2821 Open 2015 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 12 Crown Copyright 2015 PRONI COVERING DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. ACCESS REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/60/2/191 1977-1987 Weighing of Beef Cattle. 2827 Open 2015 AG/60/2/194 1977-1987 Foot trimming of dairy cow at Loughry College.