1997 Open Files
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2020 Annual Release RELEASE OF 1997 FILES LIST OF OPEN FILES December 2020 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Department of Agriculture 6 Central Secretariat 8 Department of Commerce 14 Department of Economic Development (DED) 15 Department of Employment and Learning 25 Department of Finance and Personnel 26 Department of Education 28 Department of Environment 37 Ministry of Finance 52 Ministry of Home Affairs 53 Department of Health and Social Services 54 Northern Ireland Office 70 Valuation Records 74 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Crown Copyright 2020 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 the Act, GDPR 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 due to Covid-19 restrictions, the records of NI Departments and the NIO with terminal dates of 1997 are being brought forward for release during December 2020. 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, GDPR and the DP Act. Records Released There are 450 files being deemed as suitable for release as “fully open”. A further 154 files are open but subject to blanking out of some content. 35 files remain closed in full. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 3 Crown Copyright 2020 The main file series being released includes Central Secretariat files. Some of the significant issues covered by the 1997 release include: Northern Ireland Forum (NIF) Talks Talks and political developments between the Northern Ireland parties and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland BSE Crisis and its impact on the beef industry Cross border economic cooperation Anglo Irish Intergovernmental Conference Secretary of State’s briefings on various NI issues North South issues Prison Operations Parades Boycotting of protestant businesses Drumcree Harryville protests Decommissioning Tourism Community relations Internment during World War 2 Abortion law and test cases Irish Language Overseas adoption 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 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 4 Crown Copyright 2020 would otherwise prevent release. All information which is withheld in 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 GDPR and the Data Protection principles. The catalogue of files for 1997 will be publicly available online on the PRONI website www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni from Tuesday 29th December and the files will also be available to view at PRONI from Tuesday 29th December. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 5 Crown Copyright 2020 Department of Agriculture PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/24/1/19 1997-1997 Access to Government / Contact with Sinn Fein. Feb-52 Open Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Study of Open 'A' AG/31/54/2A 1996-1997 107/96 Economic Impact. version Open 'A' AG/31/55/1A 1997-1997 Re-opening of Ulster Canal. 004/1997 version HLCA's (Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances Scheme) - AG/34/8 1996-1997 R 72/96 Open Review of. RCD 1226 Pt AG/68/17 1987-1997 Fishery Harbours Works. Open .2. RCD 1063 Pt. AG/68/18 1995-1997 Non Departmental Public Bodies. Open 1. AG/71/1/12 1995-1997 Northern Ireland Departmental Priorities. F 11,488 Open AG/71/1/14 1997-1997 Press Items 1997. FE 200/97 Open Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 6 Crown Copyright 2020 PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION AG/80/109 1992-1997 Rural Transport. RD 6012/2/92 Open Northern Ireland Tourist Board - Rural Development AG/80/110 1995-1997 RD 6062/3B/95 Open Company. Open 'A' AG/80/111A 1993-1997 Blackwatertown Development Association. RD 7410/1 version AG/80/112 1995-1997 Broadening the Rural Development Programme. RD 1014R Open AG/80/113 1995-1997 Education and Training. RD 1015 Open AG/80/114 1996-1997 Development of Post 1999 Rural Development Programme. RD 1019/1/96 Open AG/80/115 1996-1997 Older People. RD 1055 Open Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 7 Crown Copyright 2020 Central Secretariat PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU) Community of CENT/1/19/32A 1989-1997 111/1990 Open 'A' version the Peace People. Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU) Irish School of CENT/1/19/33 1990-1997 110/1990 Open Ecumenics. Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU) Museum of CENT/1/19/34A 1990-1997 487/1990 Open 'A' version Religion in Ireland. CENT/1/22/19A 1993-1997 Telegrams Foreign and Commonwealth Office Vol. 2. 647/1993 Open 'A' version CENT/1/23/20A 1994-1997 British / Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) Vol. 5. 441/1994 Open 'A' version CENT/1/23/21 1994-1997 Briefing for Opposition Party. 831/1994 Open CENT/1/23/3 1994-1997 Firearms (Amend) (NI) Order 1994. 888/1994 Open 548/1996 CENT/1/23/83A 1996-1997 MBW (Making Belfast Work) Volume 10 1996. Open 'A' version (1028/2006) Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 8 Crown Copyright 2020 PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION CENT/1/24/11 1995-1997 Advertising Peace in Northern Ireland. 709/1995 Open Policy Coordinating Committee Minutes and Related papers CENT/1/25/14 1996-1997 245/1996 Open Vol. 6. Social, Economic and Community Relations Aspect of CENT/1/26/1A 1996-1997 Security Policy (SECRASP) Security and Political Affairs 408/1997 Open 'A' version Departmental Machinery Vol. 19. Northern Ireland Forum (NIF) Talks papers Vol. 2 from CENT/1/26/2A 1997-1997 102/1997 Open 'A' version January 1997 to July 1997. CENT/1/26/8A 1995-1997 Explosives (N.I.) Order 1996. 908/95 Open 'A' version CENT/1/26/13 1993-1997 Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Greybands 121/1992 Open Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Equality – CENT/1/26/14A 1992-1997 45/1993 Open 'A' version Government Community Support for Protestant Areas. Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Equality – CENT/1/26/15 1993-1997 438/1993 Open Resourcing Local Community Development. Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Equality – CENT/1/26/16A 1993-1997 Meetings with Political Community and Church 507/1993 Open 'A' version Representatives. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 9 Crown Copyright 2020 PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Irish Language CENT/1/26/17A 1994-1997 603/1994 Open 'A' version Daily Newspaper (Part 2). Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Meetings With CENT/1/26/18A 1994-1997 610/1994 Open 'A' version Churches and Church Leaders (Part 2). Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): CRC CENT/1/26/19A 1995-1997 298/1995 Open 'A' version Reconciliation (Part 2). Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Equality – CENT/1/26/20 1995-1997 660/1995 Open Sunday Trading. CENT/1/26/21A 1994-1997 Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): The Famine. 309/1996 Open 'A' version CENT/1/26/22A 1996-1997 Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): Boycotting. 670/1996 Open 'A' version Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU): North Report CENT/1/26/23A 1997 633/1997 Open 'A' version (Part 4). CENT/1/26/24 1996-1997 Forum – General Correspondence. 226/1996 Open Central Appointments Unit (CAU): Responses to CENT/1/26/25A 1996-1997 399/1996 Open 'A' version Parliamentary Questions Nov 96 to June 97. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 10 Crown Copyright 2020 PRONI COVERING ACCESS DESCRIPTION DEPT NO. REF. NO. DATES DECISION Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Chairperson of CENT/1/26/26A 1996-1997 728/1996 Open 'A' version Forum. Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Minutes of CENT/1/26/27 1996-1997 729/1996 Open Proceedings. Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Press Costs CENT/1/26/28 1996-1997 738/1996 Open Accounts (Sound). Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Forum Rules of CENT/1/26/29A 1996-1997 765/1996 Open 'A' version Procedure Volume 2. Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Forum General CENT/1/26/30 1996-1997 907/1996 Open Volume 3. Northern Ireland Forum Secretariat (NIFS): Forum Business CENT/1/26/31A 1997 112/1997 Open 'A' version Committee Volume 2 (1997).