Recommendation AS-1: Document Retention and Storage Policy
From The Report of the Al-Sweady Inquiry, published 17 December 2014.
Recommendation
Consideration should be given to the establishment of a policy by the Ministry of Defence to ensure that all documents or other material, including electronic material, are retrieved from theatre and elsewhere at the conclusion of an operation, catalogued and stored in secure accommodation for a period of at least 30 years and all searches of that material recorded, so that the Department is able to say what material is available and its location, and if the need arises, to confirm in litigation or to a Public Inquiry that it has complied with its obligation to disclose relevant material.
In brief (written by this site)
In March 2015, the Ministry of Defence reported that the Secretary of State was satisfied that current records management policy adequately addressed the concerns behind the recommendation (Ministry of Defence, Mar 2015). The department explained that operational records are catalogued and archived in the UK at regular intervals, and applications will be made to retain files past 20 years when a 15-year review indicates it is necessary (Ministry of Defence, Mar 2015). Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence, had previously stated to the House of Commons in December 2014 that he accepted the inquiry's recommendations in principle while urgent work was conducted on their practical implications (Michael Fallon response, Dec 2014).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Sir Thayne Forbes has made just nine recommendations, and he acknowledges the progress that the Ministry has made since 2004 to improve all aspects of the prisoner-handling system—from policy and doctrine to unit-level instructions and procedures as well as training and oversight—and to ensure it complies with domestic and international law. I accept all nine recommendations in principle. I have commissioned urgent work on their practical implications—in particular, we will need to ensure that they will not prevent the armed forces from carrying out vital tasks—and I will announce to the House my detailed conclusions as soon as I can.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The Secretary of State for Defence accepted all nine recommendations in principle together, in one passage of his statement to the House of Commons on 17 December 2014. That passage is shown on each recommendation and is not a response to any one of them alone. He said he would announce his detailed conclusions later. His written statement of 12 March 2015 (HCWS383) and the report on implementation he placed in the Library of the House that day (deposited paper DEP2015-0312) give the Ministry of Defence's account of each recommendation; they are shown as status updates.
Delivery
Ministry of Defence states no delivery position (12 March 2015)
Recommendation 1. This invited the Secretary of State to consider whether the MoD’s records management policy provides sufficient assurance that the Department can locate and disclose to the courts all relevant materials. Operational records are brought back to the UK at regular intervals throughout an operation, catalogued and archived. While the Public Records Act does not permit the Department to retain records for more than 20 years without application to the Lord Chancellor, this mechanism will be employed wherever the review of this material at the 15-year point indicates that this is necessary. Consequently, the Secretary of State is satisfied that the current records management policy adequately addresses the concerns in relation to the practices in 2004 that led the Chairman to make this recommendation.
From: Report on implementation of Al-Sweady Inquiry recommendations
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Ministry of Defence
Response, delivery statement