Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
216. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason officials in her Department have ordered the removal of a document from the National Archives (details supplied); if she will provide the details of the process used to arrive at this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3198/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn December each year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade transfers both 30 year old files and, in the case of files relating to Northern Ireland, 20 year old files, to the National Archives to make them available for media and public access.
This year, the Department transferred over 800 Northern Ireland related files to the National Archives to be released. In respect of this, and other annual releases of files, it is normal for files to be recalled on a temporary basis, for review or consultation by officials, in accordance with the National Archives Act. Following the temporary recall, the files are returned to the National Archives.
That is what was done in this instance. The file in question was recalled for review, and will be returned to the National Archives this week.
My Department is consistently the largest Departmental depositor of files to the National Archives annually, and has released over 9,000 Northern Ireland related files since 2020.
