The Parliamentary Archives RECORD OFFICE Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary

Annual Review 2000 – 2001 The Parliamentary Archives Constitution Act, 9July1900 the Commonwealthof Australia Commission forRoyal Assent to Cover illustration PHOTOGRAPH : EEYBUTLER GEREMY : Parliamentary Contacting Archives the and in Whitehall. Square in Victoria Street buses stopnearParliament District andJubileelines) station is Westminster (Circle, the area. The nearestunderground available onsiteandarelimitedin because parkingspacesarenot advised tousepublictransport Visitors totheRecordOffice are By theinternet: By e-mail: By fax: By telephone: By post: www.parliament.uk [email protected] 020 72192570 020 72193074 SW1AOPW Office Record House ofLords ANNUAL REVIEW 1999–2000 HOUSE of LORDS RECORD OFFICE Archives

Annual The Parliamentary Review 2000 – 2001

London: The Stationery Office

ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 3

Overview of the year Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary This annual review of the work of the House of Software selected for the system after Lords Record Office (The Parliamentary Archives) competitive tender has been installed and covers 1st April 2000 to 31st March 2001. populated with test records. Plans for a robust retrospective conversion methodology for It has been a busy year in which significant finding aids are well advanced. This year marks progress has been made, in spite of staff shortages, the 30th anniversary of the publication of the with key initiatives that were launched last year. Guide to the Records of Parliament. It remains An increasingly discernible component of our an indispensable tool providing essential data activities has been increased co-operation and for the online catalogue, which in turn provides collaboration within the the opportunity to remedy deficiencies in the and with external bodies in our sector. description of the archives since the Guide’s publication. Records Management A three-year strategy for a best practice approach Outreach to the management of Parliamentary records in A review of the office’s outreach activities was all media that will be crucial to ensuring undertaken in the context of the core values of compliance with information access legislation, the archives sector and in particular access for all was launched. A key feature is a corporate file to archive services. Scope to implement the classification, adaptable to the requirements of recommendations in full is limited by resources individual offices, which has been developed and but the office will seek to use internet technology is out to consultation. to grasp the unparalleled opportunity that it A corporate approach to electronic records provides to promote the wider use of archives. management and associated issues was endorsed by the report of a working group of both Houses Staff led by the Record Office. Specialist advice and support is provided There has been continued participation in a increasingly to parliamentary offices, which working group considering the implications for necessitated the addition to the complement of a the House of Lords of Freedom of Information new post of assistant archivist/records manager. and Data Protection legislation. The staff have continued to embrace new initiatives and to adapt their working practices Archives accordingly. Three staff, as noted elsewhere, are to be congratulated on achieving registered A business case for bringing the environmental membership of the Society of Archivists. conditions and fire safety systems of the repository up to standard was approved. Looking ahead - priorities for next year Many records have been moved to suitable off- site storage for the duration of the project. ¥ Roll-out of a corporate file classification for Parliamentary records will be the main feature Access of the continued implementation of the records management strategy. Funding was approved for an online archival catalogue conforming to international standards ¥ A four-year programme for the retrospective of archive description that will enable conversion of paper finding aids will be launched participation in the national archive network. in connection with the online catalogue. 4 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

¥ A four-year programme for the installation ¥ Assimilation of a new post of Freedom of of new air conditioning, electrical wiring and Information Officer to manage House of Lords’ a fire protection system for the Victoria Tower compliance with the Freedom of Information Act repository will commence in summer 2001. 2000 and the . Stephen Ellison Clerk of the Records ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 5

Safeguarding and providing access Archives to Parliament’s memory The Parliamentary The Parliamentary OUR AIM is to achieve this by providing an • Preservation effective and efficient records management - To provide sufficient suitable service and archive service for each House of accommodation to preserve the archives Parliament and to make the archives accessible to in accordance with recognised the public professional standards

OUR OBJECTIVES support the principal functions - To ensure that the archives receive the of the Parliamentary Archives conservation they need • Records Management • Access - To ensure that the current, semi-current - To create an online catalogue of the and non-current records of each House archives of Parliament are managed in accordance - To provide an effective public service for with best practice, in order to promote the inspection and copying of records, efficiency and accountability and the answering of enquiries • Acquisition - To promote awareness of the archives and history of Parliament - To ensure that departmental records of each House of Parliament worthy of Resource Management permanent preservation are selected • and archived - To administer the office efficiently and economically to make the best use of its - To acquire other records that contribute resources including staff significantly to the understanding of the history and workings of Parliament The Parliamentary Archives hierarchical schemeofgeneral termsforusein by theGovernment ofNew South Wales. Itisa specifically developed forrecordsmanagement, a functionalthesaurusandclassification scheme Parliamentary Records created adraft In responsetothis,therecordsmanagementteam environment. management ofelectronicrecordsinanetworked legislation. Itisalsonecessaryfortherobust protection, freedomofinformation,andother disposal schedulescomplyingwithdata which inturnallows fortheapplicationof records aredescribedandidentified consistently, scheme isrequiredinorderthatparliamentary management ofrecordsinthefuture.Sucha parliamentary recordswas vitalfortheproper concluded thatacorporatefile classification for The RecordsManagementSurvey reportof1999 Corporate file classification wide audience. issues amongstaff byintroducingthestrategy toa was toraiseawareness ofrecordsmanagement records managementacrossParliament. Itsaim introduced acorporate,bestpracticeapproachto by theClerksofeachHouse, 2000. Containingajointforeword ofendorsement distributed ineachHouseduringthesummerof Guidelines Policy Management Records Seven hundredcopiesofthe Policy guidelines components wereasfollows: records managerforfourmonths. The key in spiteofthedifficulty ofoperatingwithouta year parliamentaryrecordsmanagementstrategy progress inbeginning toimplementthethree- the recordsmanagementteamhasmadegood Building onthepreparatorywork oflastyear, Records ManagementStrategy Records Management ANNUAL REVIEW2000Ð2001 6 lsiiain cee for Scheme Classification based on Keyword Parliamentary Guidelines AAA, were queries andredraftcontentioussections. were provided toexplain thescheme,toanswer for individual staff andmeetings forlarger offices continue untilEaster2001. A seriesofsurgeries consultation intheautumn,aprocessthatwill The draftfile classification schemewas issuedfor those termsshouldbestoredanddestroyed. Authority which willidentifyhow andwhenfiles Disposal bearing Records Parliamentary by Parliament, and willbelinked toanew terms willinfuturebeusedonallfiles created created andaddedtothebasicstructure. These reflecting thespecialistwork ofParliament were organisations. Additional termsandstructure business functions andactivities inmost records andcovers terminologycommonto classifying, titlingandindexing mosttypesof other onlineresources. be madeavailable onlineforeaseofusewith classification schemeanddisposalauthority will team andrecordofficers ineachHouse. The and contactdetailsoftherecordsmanagement display key documentsrelatingtothestrategy area ontheParliamentary Intranet. The pages Records managementnow hasitsown dedicated Online Information scheme. and consultationonthedraftclassification the designandapproval ofcorporatefile covers The mainwork ofthegroupsduringyearwas improving thecultureofrecordsmanagement. feedback andforgiving continuedemphasisto for consultationonthestrategy, forobtaining keeping issuesproviding animportantforum record officers meetquarterlyto discussrecord for recordkeeping intheirarea.IneachHouse Parliament now hasamemberofstaff responsible Each department,office orcommittee inthe Record Officers , ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 7

Consultancy products meet the criteria for a fully functional electronic records management (ERM) system. The records management team continued to Systems selected already by parliamentary offices provide advice and help to offices and are currently included in the list of approved departments of both Houses with specific records products. management problems and queries. Freedom of Information A Strategy for Electronic Records and Data Protection The aim is for the best practice approach to the The Clerk of the Records participated in the management of paper records to create the right Lords’working group on Freedom of Information culture in which to manage electronic records. and Data Protection and chaired its sub-group on A group chaired by the Record Office reported Freedom of Information, which reported during in December 2000 on Implementing Electronic the year. The working group recommended that Records Management and Document Management guidance on compliance with the Freedom of in Parliament. The group recommended that the Information Act 2000, together with the decision to move to document management management of complaints, could best be served systems (DMS) for the management of electronic by the appointment of a Freedom of Information documents and records should be one made Officer to the staff of the House. A similar individually by departments, offices and appointment is to be made by the House of committees, but within a Parliament-wide Commons - each House being a separate public implementation framework. It was recommended authority under the Act. The group also that use of the finalised and approved recommended that the House of Lords should, so Classification Scheme for Parliamentary Records, far as possible, process requests for information and its associated disposal schedules is made using established current practice. compulsory for structuring filing systems within The appointment of a Freedom of Information DMS. Other recommendations focused on the Officer was approved. The new post to be need for the Record Office to give specialist based in the Record Office from autumn 2001 support to the development in Parliament of a will carry responsibility for developing and suitable framework for electronic record keeping, implementing policies for House of Lords’ for example, by providing advice to specific compliance with the Freedom of Information project boards and to IT boards, and by producing Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998, and a corporate policy for electronic records strategic development of records management. management. The bringing together of these corporate In all these areas, Parliament will be following responsibilities is an approach that is supported the guidelines laid down by the Public Record by the 's draft Code of Practice Office, which is at the forefront of research and on the management of records under Freedom development of electronic records management of Information. The code can be viewed on the in the UK public sector. The PRO has the lead role website at www.pro.gov.uk in ensuring that document management software 8 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Acquisition Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary

Dinner Club Book, 27 March 1917 (Malcolm Papers) PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER The main focus of the year was to prepare the way telephone enclosures in the Press Gallery in 1911, for better management of accessioning procedures, the provision of a new Tea Room for Members and for migrating information into the new in 1915 and lists of staff who had gone to fight in archive management system. The accessions’ the First World War. Also of interest are two plans database currently held in ACCESS was enhanced of the Palace of Westminster c1855 which were and a review of intake strategy was begun. A deposited by the Parliamentary Works Directorate. backlog of accessions of Committee Papers was Some small collections from private sources cleared. continued to be acquired. Amongst these were 122 accessions were made during 2000-01. papers of Sir Ian Malcolm (1868-1944). Malcolm Recent material included papers relating to the served in the Diplomatic Service and was first elections of hereditary peers in 1999. Amongst elected to the House of Commons in 1895. He older official records was a banner unfurled from was a Coalition Unionist and was associated with the Ladies’ Gallery in the chamber of the House other members known as the ‘Hooligans’; the of Commons by during a protest on papers include two volumes with details of a 28 October 1908. This spectacular find demands, dinner club for 1912 to 1914 and 1917 to 1918. on behalf of the Women’s Freedom League, the These volumes are illustrated with cartoon immediate extension to women of the right to sketches. Between 1916 and 1919 Malcolm vote and was included in a deposit from the served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Serjeant at Arms’ Department. This deposit was , Secretary of State for Foreign made as a result of the records survey of both Affairs and a diary relating to the Versailles peace Houses and constituted a large quantity of conference in 1919 has survived. material dating back to the nineteenth century. A further tranche of Chadwyck-Healey microfiches These records included five letterbooks containing of Commons’ Sessional Papers for 1911-20 was letters sent and received by the Serjeant between purchased, which will provide readers with 1871 and 1923 covering a variety of topics such immediate access to this important source. as the appointment and retirement of staff, staff duties and salaries and related matters. There is A full list of accessions is provided in Appendix 1. correspondence concerning the installation of ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 9

Suffragette Banner PHOTOGRAPH:GEREMY BUTLER 10 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Preservation Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary The Victoria Tower repository codes, which will be their call numbers when the online catalogue is in place. A major building project for bringing electric wiring, fire precautions and air conditioning of Records remaining on site at Westminster will the repository up to archival standard over a be subject to movement within the repository period of four years has been approved by the as building work proceeds. Inevitably there will parliamentary authorities and was out to tender at be times when it will be difficult to maintain the end of the year. usual standards of retrieval and there will be occasions when some series are inaccessible. Considerable preparations have been made in Such restrictions will be announced at the earliest advance of site work, which is likely to opportunity in order to limit the inconvenience commence in summer 2001. Three floors of to searchers. records amounting to nearly 300 cubic metres were decanted to the London Metropolitan Conservation Archives at Clerkenwell, which tendered successfully for storing records that will be The staff of the conservation unit have continued outhoused for the duration of the project. An to provide advice about a range of issues as well integral feature of the contract is a very effective as continuing with the long term programmes 48-hour retrieval service that has minimised the of repair and conservation. Work has been carried potential disruption to parliamentary staff and out as in previous years for the Lords' Library and users of the search room at Westminster. Our other offices including that of the Clerk Assistant, hosts have been generous in allowing access to who embarked on a programme of refurbishment our staff in order to continue the labelling of of books in the Minute Room. A survey of the thousands of items with their new reference conservation needs of the records held in the repository, which will require input from the unit's staff as well as the Record Office, is required but can only be implemented when sufficient record office staff time becomes available. Closer integration of the Conservation Studio with the Record Office has been assisted by the installation of a PC and basic training for all conservation staff on use of e-mail.

Preservation microfilming The Reprographics unit has continued to film the main series of records as a precaution against disaster as well as providing a reprographics service for the public. The team produced 78,531 frames of microfilm and 5,078 35 mm aperture cards of 20th century House of Lords deposited plans as part of the preservation microfilming programme. The evaluation of the condition of original stock film, some over 30 years old, has continued with over 600 reels being checked during the year. Alf Spencer, a member of the removal team PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 11

By the end of the year 63,490 photocopies had The operational capabilities of the unit have been been processed for sale to the public together with strengthened by the acquisition of additional 3,367 copies enlarged from microfilm and 714 equipment enabling it to meet most customer large format copies of plans. demands. The purchase of a digital camera will enable the capture of colour digital images of Negotiations were commenced with The documents that are too large or otherwise not Stationery Office about the future structure and suitable for the flatbed scanner. It will also be pay of the staff of the unit in order to improve its employed for photo opportunities that can be overall effectiveness. The revised arrangements, used to publicise the work of the office. The which were close to completion at the end of the camera can store files from normal to very high year, will recognise: resolution and can also record 30 seconds of • additional responsibilities of the senior moving images. operator The image files can be downloaded to a PC and • the agreement of all three staff to work tailored to meet staff or customer requirements. hours which are more attuned to the This capability has been further enhanced by the services offered in the Search Room acquisition of a colour laser printer, which can print to A4 or A3 paper. • new competencies required of the post-holders, who are expected to operate an increased range of equipment and to acquire skills that are essential if the benefits are to be reaped from using IT in reprographics work.

Reprographics Team PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER 12 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Access Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary Cataloguing • Enable collection data to be contributed to The Automation Project the national archive network and to be made accessible world-wide, twenty-four hours The first year of the project to create an online a day through a single access point on the catalogue and archive management system was web. concerned with identifying software and after a competitive tender the Record Office selected By the end of the year, some 3,500 test catalogue CALM 2000+ as its cataloguing and archive records of the Beaverbrook and Shaw Le Fevre management system. It will: finding aids were imported into the new system and a further 7,500 records were being migrated • Enable mapping of the new hierarchical from the Record Office's legacy systems. These catalogue structure for the archives, which include catalogues of the Parliament Office uses thirty-six data elements for each Papers, Manuscripts, multi-level of archive description. Historical Collections, the Architectural Archive • Allow free text and structured searching and photographic images. Currently the catalogue of collections and online ordering of is only available to staff while it is being populated. records. Public Access to the catalogue will be phased in between 2003 and 2005.

A sample of test data from the Beaverbrook Collection in the new catalogue ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 13

Retrospective conversion of finding aids Other cataloguing Finding aid data for the electronic catalogue have The cataloguing of the later sections of the continued to be retrospectively converted by Beaverbrook Papers was almost completed by temporary typists and edited in-house to conform the end of the year. Photographs and other images to international standards of archive description. in the Beaverbrook Papers will be catalogued Many catalogues of non-official records have directly onto the new online cataloguing system. been converted and work has now begun on the Other records which have been listed in a popular private bill plan registers. format compatible with easy migration to CALM were additional papers of Herbert Samuel, Retrospective conversion of the existing finding R D Blumenfeld and St Loe Strachey. aids and the coding and labelling of records is an essential and by far the most substantial element of Work experience students undertook large-scale the automation project. Owing to the complexities relabelling and basic listing of key series during and deficiencies of the existing finding aids most the year. The Search Room sets of printed are unsuitable for scanning or keying offsite. The Commons’ Journals and Lords’ Journals have project therefore makes provision for the work been allocated reference codes to enable them to of creating catalogue entries, which conform to be orderable through the online catalogue. international standards of archive description, to Scoping of the re-cataloguing of House of be carried out in-house by qualified archivists. Commons Committee Papers took place. This With the arrival of four retrospective conversion project will enable these sources to be more archivists in April 2001, work on migrating raw accessible to researchers by making their data into the system will begin. For conversion of description more accurate and consistent, and the few catalogues suitable for keying off-site by putting their creation into context by adding there are benefits in collaborating in an Access to the administrative histories of committees to the Archives project (see section below) using its catalogue. proven methodology for retrospective conversion.

The re-labelling of records in progress PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER 14 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Access to Archives (A2A) nine other public sector English Archives: University College London, Cambridge University Early in 2000, the Record Office was asked to Library, Record Office, Churchill Archives lead the Political Archives Consortium, a group Centre, Cambridge, Warwick University Modern of ten partner archives seeking a grant from the Records Centre, Wiltshire and Swindon Record Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant was to support Office, University of Birmingham Library (Special an Access to Archives project to convert into Collections), King's College London, and Hackney electronic form over ten thousand pages of paper Archives Service. catalogues relating to archives of outstanding political and historical importance. The data would Together, the archival collections concerned be included in the Access to Archives online cover aspects of almost every major political catalogue, the English component of the National event and movement in Britain over the last 300 Archive Network, and were to be available over years, as reflected in the personal and political the web for searching by anyone in the world, by papers of prime ministers, politicians, and the end of 2001. In March 2001, the Heritage political thinkers. They include those of the Prime Lottery Fund generously offered to contribute Ministers Robert Walpole, , one quarter of the project costs, and the project Andrew , Stanley Baldwin, Anthony will go ahead later in the year. Eden and ; the statesmen Randolph Churchill, Hugh Gaitskell, Ernest Consortium members are based throughout Bevin and Richard Crossman; and political England and comprise the Access to Archives thinkers including Jeremy Bentham, George central team (at the Public Record Office) and Orwell, Charles Bradlaugh and Arthur Bryant. Other catalogues are included for a number of collections relating to cabinet ministers and MPs, foreign and defence policy advisers and diplomats. The Access to Archives catalogue is online at www.a2a.pro.gov.uk

Search Room services Facilities for Searchers Further small improvements have been made to the services provided for visitors to the Search Room. Since the summer, mineral water has been made available to the public in the small kitchen - a welcome development because the last two surveys of visitors indicated a significant interest in the provision of basic refreshment facilities. It is virtually impossible to provide much more given space restrictions, but the feasibility of adapting the kitchen to provide a few seats for Dave, one of the security officers who escort those who wish to bring in sandwiches is being searchers to the record office considered. PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 15

As a result of last year’s significant upgrade in Bournemouth trolley buses and civil defence in technology, an increasing number of searchers London 1935-1945. The largest group Ð 41% Ð are using the digital microform reader/printer came for twentieth century topics or contemporary for microfiche of the ever popular Commons’ issues. These included Cuba and Great Britain Sessional Papers, 35mm aperture cards of 1898-1911, the perennially popular Irish studies deposited plans, and roll film of Acts and other such as Willoughby de Broke and the Irish crisis documents. There are now two flat screen PCs in of 1912-1914, John Maynard Keynes and Lloyd the Search Room. George, the portrayal of gender in the inter-war press, political posters, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Searchers New Delhi, Colditz, eugenics in colonial Kenya, Beaverbrook and the British Museum, wind The number of visitors to the Search Room has energy, the employment effects of Docklands, dropped slightly from last year. There were 1020 asylum policy, organic farming and health, House (1081) visits Ð a daily average of 4.4 (4.6). Apart of Lords reform and foot and mouth disease. from the usual fortnight’s closure for stocktaking in November, the Search Room was closed Topics covering earlier periods included priests occasionally for staff training and owing to a and schoolmasters 1350-1603, the political activity temporary shortage of staff it had to be closed of women during the English Civil War, the at lunchtime for one week early in November. history of the kilt, musicians in the Royal Catholic Around 6,000 items Ð volumes, boxes, files, Chapels 1660-1705, piracy of the 1700s, gin plans, original acts, microfiche and other items drinking in the eighteenth century, the history of were produced for searchers, at an average of 5.9 Sierra Leone, the union of Britain and , orderable units per visit. There were 40 requests from parliamentary offices for loans of documents and 71 requests for records to be brought from the London Metropolitan Archives outstore. New applicants to search numbered 432 of whom 21% were visiting for official, legal and business purposes, 3% were from the media and 7% were genealogists. The remainder came to pursue a wide variety of historical, biographical, literary and cultural studies. A significant number of these Ð 11% - declared an interest in parliamentary history, which included several studies of the House of Lords in various periods and the office of the Speaker of the House of Commons in the nineteenth century. The architectural archive was consulted by 4% of searchers and 13% were interested in local studies, such as the East Midlands gentry in the late seventeenth century, smugglers of Romney Marsh in the 1700s, Shrewsbury water supply 1750-1830, Ennerdale A searcher consulting a petition concerning the Mineral Railway, shipping in Teesside and Slave Trade Bill, 1806 Hartlepool, the history of Brighton and PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE 16 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

conditions of child labour in the early nineteenth Channel 4 filmed some Beaverbrook Papers in century, the Atlantic slave trade, Josephine Butler connection with Crawfie - the nanny who wouldn't and contagious diseases, Jewish disabilities and keep mum, the story of Marion Crawford. the Fashoda affair. Various biographical studies Elidir (Welsh TV) filmed original acts including were made of Christopher Wren, Sir John Popham, the Propagation of the Gospel Act 1650, the Viscount Nelson, Henry Booth 1st Earl of Uniformity Act 1662, the Conventicle Acts 1664 Warrington, , Dr Maria Phillips, and 1670, and the Tolerance Act 1689. Clement Davies MP, Jill Craigie and others. John Bingley filmed the Bill of Rights and For a third year, the office participated in the associated documents for an American programme Public Services Quality Group survey of visitors concerning the American and English constitutions. to British Archives, but the survey took place late in the year reported here and the results and BBC Radio 4 interviewed David Prior about analysis are not expected until September 2001. original acts for Around Westminster. Last year’s findings indicated that searchers were Canadian Television interviewed Katharine Bligh generally very satisfied with the levels of service. and filmed some Beaverbrook Papers for a However, customer care training for staff is planned programme about the life of Lord Beaverbrook to for 2001, which will be useful in providing bench be shown in Canada. marking for standards of customer service and will assist the office in meeting the forthcoming Books and offprints received British Standard for access to archives. Chris R. Kyle, "It beeing not fitt to bee without ‘Remote’enquiries A Lawe: Expiring Laws Continuance Acts, 1604- 1641", Parliamentary History, Vol.19, pt 2 (2000), The system for the management of public pp.195-209 enquiries introduced last year enables the impact of all enquiries to be measured. For the period Christopher Scoble, Fisherman's Friend - A life 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 staff answered a of Stephen Reynolds 1881-1919 (Halsgrove, total of 2,104 remote enquiries. These comprised October 2000) 624 requests by e-mail, 77 by fax, 731 by letter Andrew Underwood, 17th century Ampthill & and 672 by telephone. The overall decline on Hugh Reeve its ‘true & lawfull Parson’ (2000) the figures in last year’s report is attributable to 2000-01 being the new system’s first full year Marriage & Census Indexes for Family of operation. The number of e-mails received Historians; Specialist Indexes for Family continues to increase. Historians; Militia Lists and Musters 1757-1876 (Guides published by the Federation of Family Use of records History Societies Publications Ltd) Media use Duplicate and incomplete sets of House of Commons Divisions, Reports of the Select BBC’s Blue Peter programme filmed an original Committee of the House of Commons on Public act relating to the prohibition of the wearing of Petitions, British National Archive Publications highland garb for a broadcast on the history of the and HMC Reports were presented to the Library kilt. of the Institute of Historical Research. ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 17

Promoting the archives and history and during exhibition, and acceptance by the of Parliament borrowing authority of the financial, as well as the curatorial implications of the loan. These will Review of outreach activities include costs of insurance for loss or damage, and A review of outreach activities was completed. travel and subsistence costs incurred in delivering The review’s recommendations were set in the and collecting exhibits. context of an increasing public interest in history A request by Queensland State Library to exhibit and the emphasis placed by the government on the original Charitable Uses Act 1601 during access by all to archive services, and on the use of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of archive materials in schools, higher education Government Conference in Brisbane received and lifelong learning initiatives. The review considerable attention but was likely to be concluded that the automated catalogue will withdrawn because of lack of funds. remove the need for some traditional types of hard copy publication and that electronic During the year the office collaborated with the dissemination of information about the office will Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the be an important feature of outreach activities in Ulster Museum in respect of an exhibition to future. There remains a case for producing hard mark the bicentenary of the union of Great Britain copy literature that will support the catalogue and and Ireland. The exhibition, due to be held at the promote and provide information about the Ulster Museum in Belfast between June and services of the office. October 2001, will feature several documents from the Record Office including the original Act There is a deficit of information about records of Union. It also provides a good opportunity for deposited since the publication of the Guide to the cross sectoral working. Records of Parliament in 1971, and this will need to be compiled for inclusion in the new catalogue. Palestine: Statement of Policy, a government Capacity for implementing the whole raft of White Paper from the House of Lords Main recommendations is limited by the need for the Papers for 16 May 1939 was exhibited by the office to give priority to the use of resources for Holocaust Memorial Museum in services that support the everyday work of Washington in the 'Flight and Rescue' Exhibition. Parliament and to ensure that investment in the The exhibition, which ran from 4 May 2000 to cataloguing project is maximised. However, it is 21 October 2001, chronicled the remarkable planned to make progress in some areas with a escape of more than 2,200 Jews from Poland to review of the facilities for the permanent display Japan and China between 1939 and 1941. of records in the Palace, a revision of publicity Centenary of the passing of the Commonwealth material and an exploration with the Education of Australia Constitution Act Unit of ways in which archival materials can be The original Commonwealth of Australia made more accessible to schools. Constitution Act 1900 and the Commission for Royal Assent to the Act were displayed at a Exhibitions and Displays reception in the Royal Gallery to commemorate The Record Office is pleased to consider requests the centenary of the passage of the Act. The office for the loan of manuscripts and photographic also assisted the National Archives of Australia in material for use in exhibitions. Once loans are identifying and describing other Acts relating to approved in principle formal conditions of loan Australian history for their on-line website are sent to prospective borrowers. Conditions Documenting a Democracy, which was inaugurated focus on the physical care of documents in transit in connection with the anniversary. Colour 18 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

transparencies were made of the selected original Westminster Underground Station Acts from which digitised images were created Panels describing the history of Parliament which for the website. It was first launched in Australia were used in an exhibition in the Lithuanian and then demonstrated at a special conference Parliament last year have been displayed on a and reception held at Australia House in London. rolling basis in Westminster Underground Station Documenting a Democracy can be viewed at as part of London Underground’s Local History www.foundingdocs.gov.au Initiative. Fair in the Square Mobile Displays A team from the Record Office, the House of The portable display stand acquired last year, Commons Library, the Curator’s Office and the which enables rapid mounting and dismounting Parliamentary Works Directorate mounted an of small displays, was used at the Parliamentary exhibition of documents, furniture and artefacts History Conference in July 2000. Graphic panels from the Palace of Westminster at a millennium describing the work of the Record Office for use fair organised by Westminster City Council. with the stand inside or outside the Palace have Exhibits including those from the Palace were been created. displayed in a series of themed marquees erected New Opportunities Fund in Berkeley Square over a weekend in July. The Collaboration with the Public Record Office on benefits of collaboration on exhibition work a digital exhibition examining the concept of between offices and departments within the citizenship has continued. The PRO’s application Palace were clearly demonstrated. for funding from the New Opportunities Fund awaits a final decision in June.

The Parliamentary Stand at the Fair in the Square PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 19

The History of Parliament Trust: The House Oldham and District branch of the Family of Lords 1660-1832 History Society; University College London (School of Library, Researchers working on the House of Lords Archives and Information Studies); project 1660-1832 make frequent visits to the University of Hull MA Students Search Room. Data about Peers’ attendance are being entered onto a database and we look forward Talks about the work of the office were given to opportunities for closer collaboration in future. to Lords’ staff on induction courses, Commons’ Clerks, Commons’Library staff, and to constituents Talks of David Amess MP. Staff gave talks to the following groups of Visits postgraduate historians, archivists, archive Visiting archivists included Kim Efird Jr, from the students, and local history societies: Illinois State Archives; Dr Gerry Slater, Chief Association of Professional Tourist Guides; Executive of the Public Record Office of Northern British Association for Local History; Ireland; Spanish archivists and librarians from Bromley U3A Genealogy Group; Valencia including María José Cubells, the Chingford Amateur Historians Group; archivist of Cortes Valencianas; and a group of Hook Local History Group; archivists from Finland. Institute of Historical Research; Amongst parliamentarians who visited the archives Liverpool University Centre for Archive Studies; were the Commons’Accommodation and Works London Archive Users Forum; Committee; members of the Liberal Group in the

PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE 20 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Network and was elected to the steering committee of the Section of Archives and Archivists of Parliaments and Political Parties of the International Council on Archives at the XIVth International Congress in Seville. David Prior served on the Society of Archivists’ Specialist Repositories mapping board and represents the Society on the newly formed London Archives Regional Council of which he is Treasurer. He was previously chairman of the Council’s A2A (Access to Archives) Task Force. He continues as Assistant Treasurer of the Greater London Archives Network and is convenor of the Network’s training and meetings group. Caroline Shenton is a committee member of the Society of Archivists' EAD/Data Exchange Group. During the year she was admitted to the Professional Register of the Society of Archivists. She regularly lectures on courses run by the Archive Skills Consultancy and is currently Members of the Secretariat of the House of writing the Society of Archivists' Best Practice Councillors, Japan, with the Clerk of the Records PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE Guidelines on Archival Web Sites. Belgian Senate accompanied by Véronique Mari Takayanagi is Secretary of the Society of Laureys, the Senate Archivist; Mr Hisao Ohashi Archivists’ Education, Training & Development and Mr Hironori Kamezawa, members of the Committee and is the Society of Archivists’ Secretariat of the House of Councillors, Japan; Observer on the Library Association’s Education and overseas Clerks on attachment to the House & Personal Membership Services Committee. of Commons. During the year she was admitted to the Professional Register of the Society of Archivists. Lady Irvine of Lairg, Ms Anji Hunter, Mr Malcolm Havercroft of the Royal Ordnance Survey and Jonathan Whiting served on the Executive Mr Roger Morris, Chief Executive and Town Committee of the Society of Archivists' Records Clerk of Northampton Borough Council, made Management Group and as a member of the personal visits to the archives. British Standards Institute PD0012 Committee. At the invitation of the International Records Professional activities Management Trust he conducted a records management needs assessment exercise in Katharine Bligh served on the Public Services St. Vincent in April 2000 and implemented Quality Group; the Quality Forum for Archives records management systems as part of a British and Local Studies. During the year she was Council project providing administrative and admitted to the Professional Register of the Society procedural support to the Ugandan Parliament in of Archivists. July 2000. Stephen Ellison is chairman of the UK Parliamentary and Political Parties Archive ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 21

Resource Management Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary Organisation The Record Office is one of several offices that constitute the Clerk of the Parliament's Department (the Parliament Office) of the House of Lords. Record Office staff are appointed by the Clerk of the Parliaments as Corporate Officer of the House of Lords, under the Parliamentary Corporate Bodies Act 1992. The grading, pay and conditions of service of staff are broadly in line with those in the Civil Service. The complement of the Record Office is 6 archivists/ records managers (grades from EO to grade 5 equivalent) and 4 support staff (grades from SCO to EO). Suitably qualified and experienced staff are recruited to the professional posts and support is given to staff who are working towards registered status with the Society of Archivists. Support staff are recruited according to their general suitability and are liable to transfer within the Parliament Office. In accordance with service Paul Gibbons PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER agreements Conservation Officers are seconded from the British Library and Reprographic Officers are seconded from The Stationery Office.

Staff changes After 25 years skilled service as a finisher Chris Charles, Conservation Officer, returned to the British Library Conservation Department following ill health, and was replaced by Mark Naylor. Alias Khan, Assistant Archives Officer, was promoted to another post in the House and was replaced by Stephen Noble. Jonathan Whiting, Records Manager, joined the National Trust as Corporate Information and Records Manager, and was replaced by Paul Gibbons, formerly Modern Records Archivist at Portsmouth City Council. Mari Takayanagi, formerly Assistant Archivist at the British Library of Political and Economic Science, took up the new post of Assistant

Archivist/Records Manager. Mari Takayanagi PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER 22 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Work placements Financial Management The Record Office continues to support the The Record Office is operated as a joint service of training of new archivists by accepting student Parliament and the Lords and Commons share placements from university archive schools. funding of its budgeted costs at an agreed ratio Anna Simelane and Irene Andrews from of 60:40. The Clerk of the Records as the office’s University College London gained experience budget holder is responsible for the disbursement and gave valuable assistance listing a section of and provision of staff costs and general the Beaverbrook Papers, and sorting and listing administrative expenses, which are funded from committee papers. Mutual benefit is also to be the House of Lords Peers' Expenses, gained from the offer of placements to prospective Administration etc. Vote and from the House of archivists requiring practical experience before Commons Vote. Expenditure was £745,539. applying for their courses. We were indebted to Receipts from the sale of photocopies and royalties Charlotte Crooks, an undergraduate of St Andrews totalled £12,599 and VAT recoveries were £27,209. University, and to Annalisa Ivin a graduate in The comparable figures for 1999-2000 were Modern History of the University of Westminster £669,691, £13,759 and £26,032. Increased for their voluntary archive work. expenditure in 2000-01 was attributable mainly to the budgeted costs of the electronic cataloguing project.

Anna Simelane PHOTOGRAPH: HOUSE OF LORDS RECORD OFFICE ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 23

APPENDIX 1:

Archives Accessions of Records The Parliamentary The Parliamentary The list of accessions which follows constitutes the 30th annual supplement to the Guide to the Records of Parliament (HMSO, 1971). Items marked with an asterisk are subject to public access restrictions. Some administrative records will be destroyed in accordance with agreed retention periods.

Departmental Records House of Lords Accountant's Office Alphabetical list of staff with appointmentand retirement dates 1970-1990 (1 bundle)* Black Rod's Office Volumes of signatures of peeresses and unmarried daughters of peers admitted to the galleries 1981-1996 (2 volumes) Correspondence files 1994-2000 (14 boxes)* State Opening of Parliament photographs late 1970s (5 photographs) Yeoman Usher's correspondence files 1972-1999 (13 boxes)* Chairman of Committees' Office Hereditary Peers’election statements, ballot papers and registration forms 1999-2000 (7 boxes and 1 file)* Committee of Selection: memoranda, agendas and correspondence 1975-1997 (2 bundles)* Informal group on Smoking: papers 1998-1999 (1 bundle)* Clerk Assistant Corporate deed 2000 (1 file)* Clerk of the Parliaments’Office Whips & All Party Notices 1998-2000 (2 files)* Committee Office: Records of the following committees:* European Union Committee 1998-2000 (7 boxes) European Union Committee: Sub-committee A 1999-2000 (3 boxes), Sub-committee C 1999-2000 (5 boxes), Sub-committee D 1999-2000 (4 boxes), Sub-committee E 1999-2000 (5 boxes), Sub-committee F 1999-2000 (4 boxes) Establishment Office Files and papers regarding Health Provision 1983-1999 (1 box)* Internal Auditor Audit working papers 1993-1998 (5 boxes)* Journal and Information Office Membership and Attendance 1999-2000 (1 item) Attendance and division sheets, plus messages from Commons 1997-1998 (1 bundle) Registry file 1993-1995 (1 file)* 24 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

Judicial Office Appeal Cases 1998 (33 volumes) Printed Paper Office Main Papers 1999-2001 (30 papers and 81 bundles) Private Bill Office Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill: Minutes of Evidence 1994-1996 (5 boxes) and papers 1994-1995 (4 boxes) Locus Standi 1988-1992 (1 box) British Railways (No.3) Bill papers 1989-1990 (2 boxes) Original Acts 1998-1999 (1 box) Plans for Special Procedure Orders 2001, Provisional Orders and Private Bills 1990-2001 (21 plans) Transport and Works Act 1992: Order laid, plans and sections, book of reference 1999-2000 (3 items) Public Bill Office Original Acts 1999 (35 chapters) Measures 1990-1999 (9 boxes) Bill files 1998-1999 (18 boxes) Staff Adviser Papers 1996 (2 boxes)*

House of Commons Committee Office: Records of the following committees:* (except for memoranda reported but not printed) Agriculture Committee 1997-2000 (2 files) Catering Committee 1987-1994 (4 boxes) Culture, Media and Sport Committee 1999-2001 (2 files, 14 memoranda and 1 bundle) Education and Employment Committee 1999-2001 (14 memoranda and 4 files) Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee 1999-2001 (23 memoranda and 2 files) Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Transport sub-committee 2000 (1file) Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Environment Sub-committee 1999-2000 (17 memoranda) European Scrutiny Committee 1997-1998 (5 boxes) Health Committee 1999-2000 (13 boxes, 1 bundle and 3 memoranda) Home Affairs Committee 1999-2001 (60 memoranda and 2 files) Information Committee 1999-2000 (1 file) International Development Committee 2000-2001 (1 file) Liaison Committee 1980-1997 (2 boxes) Northern Ireland Affairs Committee 1997-1998 (1 file) Public Accounts Committee 1998-2001 (9 memoranda and 3 boxes) Science & Technology Committee 1999-2000 (3 boxes and 1 bundle) Scottish Affairs Committee 1999-2000 (1 bundle) ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001 25

Select Committee on Public Administration 2000-2001 (1 file) Social Security Committee 1994-2001 (3 memoranda, 3 bundles and 4 files) Treasury Committee 1976-2001 (9 memoranda and 3 files) Treasury sub-committee 2000-2001 (2 files) Welsh Affairs Committee 2000 (1 file) Journal Office Minute Book pages 1998-1999 (1 box) Petition Prayers 1998-2000 (1 box) Committee for Privileges papers 1991-1995 (2 boxes)* Parliamentary Works Directorate Jubilee Line extension schedule of defects to buildings on the Parliamentary Estate 2000 (11 boxes)* Designs for new dining room furniture and layout proposals 1995 (3 plans) Plans of the Palace of Westminster c.1855 (2 plans) Papers concerning the design of Arms of Madam Speaker 1993 (1 file)* Public Bill Office Private Members’Bills 1993-1994 (2 boxes) House of Commons’Bills 1999-2000 (2 boxes) Files on allocation of time orders 1987-1989 (2 boxes) Annotated public bills and associated correspondence 1952-1958 (2 boxes) Department of the Serjeant at Arms Office files, photograph albums and letter books 1880s-1980s (20 crates, 27 boxes, 4 letterbooks and 3 albums)* Speaker's Office Photographs and papers 1839-1960s (3 boxes and 1 roll)*

Parliamentary Groups Records of the convenor of cross bench peers and analysis of divisions 1974-2000 (3 boxes)*

Other Records Relating to Parliament

Proxy deed of Bishop of Norwich,1715. Purchased. Broadside with analysis of voting in the House of Commons on the second reading of the Reform Bill, March 1831; broadside with list of Peers who voted against the Reform Bill, October 1831. Purchased. House of Commons Evening Prayer Meeting book, 1833-1965. Deposited by the House of Commons Library. Papers of Sir Ian Malcolm including Versailles Peace Conference diary, 1902-1919. Presented by Mr R Malcolm. 26 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000Ð2001

APPENDIX 2:

Archives Staff of the Parliamentary Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary Clerk of the Records: Conservation Officers: Stephen Ellison, BA, MSc (Seconded by the British Library): Paul Slapp (Manager part-time); Assistant Clerks of the Records: Michael Combe David Prior, BA, MPhil. Chris Charles (Archives & Public Services) (to 2 April 2000) Caroline Shenton, MA, DPhil, RMSA Brian Hopkins (Records & Information Services) Elizabeth Akers Archivist (Modern Collections): Lois Heath Katharine Bligh, BA, RMSA Ray Rackham Mark Naylor Records Manager: (from 3 April 2000) Jonathan Whiting, BA, MA, RMSA Tom McCarthy (to 27 October 2000) (Temp. from 2 May to 27 October 2000) Paul Gibbons, BA, MSc, RMSA Des Mann (from 1 February 2001) (Temp. from 30 October to 31 December Archives Officer: 2000) Robert Harrison, BA Reprographics Officers: Secretary: (Seconded by The Stationery Office): Annie Pinder Stephen Chamberlain, Carol Ager, Assistant Archivist / Records Manager: David Trowbridge Mari Takayanagi, MA (Oxon), MA (Archives & Records Management), RMSA Repository Housekeepers: (from 7 August 2000) Gwen Neenham, Madeline Cross, Assistant Archives Officers: Denise Johnson John Breslin Alias Khan (to 24 September 2000); Stephen Noble, BA (from 27 November 2000) Published by The Stationery Office Limited Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2001 House of Lords Record Office 2001