Firstly, please excuse me if you feel this request is inappropriately
directed to this group - I was in a dilemma as to whether to send this to
the FOI list (yes, I know most of us subscribe to both!)
A previous employer had a process in place whereby emails were
automatically deleted off the organisation mail server(s) after 30 days and
the onus was on the individual, if they wished or needed to retain the
email to comply with retention schedules/statute etc, to either print a
copy and affiliate with the relevant paper file or save/archive the message
electronically to their own/departmental storage area on the server.
My current employer would like to introduce such a process and has asked
for examples of similar policies that are in operation with other local
authorities.
Q1. Does anyone else have a similar email management policy in operation
within their organisation that they'd be willing to share with me? (This is
just for reference; I won't plagiarise, promise!)
Q2. At what point is a deleted email actually considered well and truly
deleted and therefore not accessible if subject to an FOI request? (I'm
aware that emails deleted by individuals from their own mailbox, can be
recovered for quite some time afterwards - in MS Outlook anyway - so would
assume they would still have to be released, but surely email deleted by
the organisations' administrator in accordance with policy would be
considered destroyed for all intents and purposes even if a copy still
existed on a back-up tape somewhere...)
Q3. Along the same lines, would paper records, batched up for destruction
and awaiting collection by say a third party contractor, be considered
destroyed for access purposes, even though they haven't physically been
shredded/incinerated yet? (Again I'm aware that if a request was made for
records scheduled for destruction, you'd hold fire on destroying them)
I'm sure I have actually seen the answer to Q3 but I can't remember where
so if you can point me in the right direction, I'll be grateful!
Q4. (and probably most important) I can see (and have experienced!) the
benefits, but can you identify anything intrinsically wrong with having a
30-day email destruction policy that my rose-tinted spectacles may be
overlooking?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
Caroline Dodge
Data Protection & Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
Kent County Council
Corporate Services, Room SH1.102, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone.
ME14 1XQ
Tel: 01622 221652 Fax: 01622 694383
www.kent.gov.uk
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