University Secretary
Destruction
For guidance on destroying records, either download the factsheet or select one of the options below.
- Routine destruction
- Retention schedules
- Authorising destruction
- Delaying destruction
- Recording destruction
- Confidentiality
- Records that must not be destroyed
- Destruction form and checklist
1. Routine destruction
There are many documents that can be routinely destroyed as part of normal business practice, such as:
- notices of meetings;
- notifications of acceptance or apologies;
- trivial emails;
- draft letters;
- working papers that lead to a final report;
- obsolete publications, manuals and directories;
- superseded address and distribution lists.
These documents should be regularly discarded to prevent ephemeral and transient material from taking up space required by important information.
2. Retention schedules
The destruction of each department's core administrative records (both paper and electronic) should be controlled by retention schedules. Retention schedules list the length of time for which categories or series of records should be retained in order to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as to meet operational needs. They ensure that information is not kept unnecessarily, and provide a consistent, controlled system for the disposal of material. (For further details, see Retention schedules).
3. Authorising destruction
The destruction of records should be authorised by an appropriate person in the department (e.g. Head of Department). When permission is given, all copies must be eliminated (e.g. copies on portable media, copies on laptops), otherwise the information will be considered still held by the University and therefore accessible under the terms of Freedom of Information and Data Protection legislation.
4. Delaying destruction
If there is any doubt concerning the destruction (because of pending litigation or investigation), the records must be retained and reviewed at a later date; a specific date for the review must be agreed and recorded. Similarly, if records are known to be the subject of a request under Freedom of Information or Data Protection, destruction should be delayed. The Information Commissioner's Office recommends postponing the disposal of material requested under Freedom of Information for at least six months from the date of the last communication concerning the request.
5. Recording destruction
It is important to record what is destroyed, when and why (except in the case of ephemeral material). Recording the disposal of information will ensure that there are transparent, auditable procedures, provide evidence that retention policies have been implemented, and prevent futile searching for material that no longer exists. Both the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act require well-defined procedures, since explanations for the destruction of records may have to be given in response to requests for information.
A model destruction form is available for recording the disposal of material. Departments that use FileStore will not need to record the destruction of their records, since they will be automatically issued with a certificate of destruction when boxes are discarded on their authorisation.
6. Confidentiality
Records of a restricted or sensitive nature (e.g. records containing personal data and sensitive personal data, financial information, commercially sensitive information, unpublished research material) must be discarded using the University's confidential waste services, and kept secure whilst awaiting destruction. Electronic records that do not contain confidential information can be discarded simply by deleting them. If the data is sensitive, measures must be taken to ensure that it is completely erased and cannot be recovered. In the case of portable media (such as DVDs and CDs) the most effective way to eradicate data is to destroy the items themselves by breaking them, scoring lines over them or using a disk shredder.
7. Records that must not be destroyed
A small percentage of the University?s records are to be preserved permanently because they have long-term reference or historical value. They will provide evidence of the University's most significant functions and activities, document its policy formation, and trace the development of its fabric and infrastructure. The department's retention schedule should identify records of permanent value, and further advice can be obtained from the University Records Manager.