Does this mean the County ROs will finally get specific funding for looking
after public records given all these efficiency savings?
Elizabeth Oxborrow-Cowan
At 17:43 20/12/02 +0000, Anita Sharma wrote:
>The listserv having been rather quiet on the subject of both last
>Friday's announcements, of the merger of the HMC and the PRO to form the
>National Archives, and that DCMS has asked Lord Evans to chair an
>Archives Taskforce, I would like to welcome both moves on behalf of the
>National Council on Archives. We rarely get Ministerial announcements
>about archives, and I cannot remember one that is likely to have such a
>major impact on the archival landscape.
>The HMC/PRO merger comes about as the result of a quinquennial review of
>the HMC (all Government bodies undergo these reviews to confirm the
>continuing need for their existence, and their efficiency and
>effectiveness) in 2001. The review concluded that although the functions
>of the HMC needed to continue, their performance by an independent
>organisation was not the most efficient or effective way of providing
>them. Various options were considered for the future of the functions,
>but the option chosen, of amalgamation with the PRO into a new
>organisation, will have a number of significant advantages. Moreover, I
>understand that the new organisation will have the combined budget of
>the two predecessor bodies, ensuring that the efficiency savings arising
>from the move accrue to the archives world and not to the Treasury. The
>creation of the National Archives will have the following advantages:-
>1. Although the merger can be brought about in practice by ministerial
>directive, I believe there will need to be legislation to formally end
>the legal status of the HMC. This provides a further imperative for the
>proposed National Archives Bill, and makes it more likely that
>Parliamentary time will be found for this Bill. 2. There will be a
>single body with clear responsibility for national archival policy
>across the public and private sectors, for the first time. This surely
>means that archives will have a stronger voice in Government. The
>National Archives will have a clearer remit to work with and actively
>support other public sector archives than the PRO has had in the past.
>The HMC and PRO inspection regimes will be brought together and made
>more effective (the National Archives Bill, when it comes, should also
>give them more teeth). The nature of the relationship between the
>National Archives and Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives &
>Libraries has yet to emerge, but I am sure there is commitment on both
>sides to arrive at a clear division of responsibility. The Archives
>Taskforce will give them experience of working together, and help to
>ensure that there is a clear common agenda. 3. The desire to ensure the
>viability of the National Archives Network has been a key driver behind
>the decision to give the new body the full budget of its predecessors.
>The efficiency savings from combining the two bodies could and should go
>a long way towards making the Network sustainable. It will also be
>possible to ensure that the information resource contained in the
>National Register of Archives is fully and effectively integrated into
>the developing National Network. In this context, it is particularly
>good news that DCMS will fund the replacement of the HMC computer system
>in the near future. The announcement in the House of Lords on Friday
>included reference to the fact that the Minister had asked Lord Evans
>(Chairman, Resource) to chair an Archives Task Force 'to examine the
>general state of archives in the UK'. Lord Evans has previously chaired
>similar studies of the future of library and museum services, which
>resulted in the reports New Library - the People's Network and
>Renaissance in the Regions. The first has levered £270m into UK
>libraries and the second proposes investment of up to £500m in UK
>museums; we shall find out as the detail of the comprehensive spending
>review unfolds how successful it has been! The Archives Task Force is
>intended to map out the future strategic role of archive services in the
>UK, and look at the funding needs of these services if they are to meet
>these objectives. It is likely that the final report of the Task Force
>(due next
>summer) will call for large-scale investment in archives. If it has the
>impact of the parallel documents for libraries and museums, it too has
>the potential to transform the landscape we are operating in for the
>better. Rarely can there have been a more momentous day for archives in
>the UK. I for one have written to congratulate the minister on making
>such a positive announcement for the profession, and I would encourage
>anyone else who shares my view to do so too; we all know how welcome a
>little praise is from our user community! Nick Kingsley
>Chairman, National Council on Archives
>
Greater Manchester County Record Office
56 Marshall Street
Manchester
M4 5FU
England
Tel + 44 161 819 4705
Fax + 44 161 839 3808
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