A Records Management Plan sets out in detail an authority’s arrangements for managing its public records.
Under the Public Records (Scotland) Act (PRSA), named public authorities must submit a Records Management Plan.
This plan is closely scrutinised by the PRSA team. If the plan meets the criteria set out in the PRSA, the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (the Keeper) will agree the plan.
The title of Keeper is held by our Chief Executive.
Resources
The Keeper develops and publishes:
You can also watch our short video on YouTube explaining the requirements of PRSA.
The assessment process
The assessment process for RMPs is:
- Engagement with public authority to inform them of obligations under the act, and anticipated timelines for submission of an RMP.
- Formal invitation from the Keeper to submit an RMP
- The Keeper allows a period of time for authority to seek guidance from PRSA team regarding the submission of their RMP
- RMP submitted by authority for Keeper’s consideration
- RMP assessed by PRSA team
- PRSA team’s interim report returned to authority for comment or to identify factual inaccuracies
- Authority responds to interim report
- Final report agreed by Keeper, sent to authority and published on National Records of Scotland website
- Keeper reports to Scottish Ministers annually on agreed plans.
The Keeper will also encourage the authority to publish the agreed RMP or a redacted version on their own website.
Invitation schedule and timetable
The Keeper has:
Once an RMP has been approved the Keeper must wait 5 years to issue a new invitation. However, if the Keeper becomes aware that an authority is not following the arrangements laid out in their plan they can be invited to submit a new plan within that 5-year period.
The Keeper’s invitation timetable is published six months in advance.
Plans which are not approved
The Keeper has the power to return an RMP without agreement. This can happen if the Keeper considers that the RMP does not set out proper arrangements for the management of the authority’s public records.
The Keeper must:
- consult with the authority while this step is being considered
- have regard to any further representations made by the authority
- explain their reasons for considering returning a plan
The Keeper may suggest improvements that would, if implemented, allow agreement.
If the Keeper's suggested modifications are not implemented or a revised plan is not submitted then the Keeper can invoke the action notice powers.
If the plan is not modified or submitted again
If the authority fails to comply with any of the requirements of the action notice, the Keeper can take they consider appropriate to publicise the failure.
The Keeper can report an authority to Scottish Ministers if the authority fails to:
- submit a records management plan
- modify their plan, if it has been returned
Voluntary resubmission of Revised Plan
Authorities can resubmit a revisited plan for agreement outside their invitation window. If you're looking to do this, contact us.
Assessment reports
The Keeper will publish a report on each of the submitted public authority records management plans.
Find previous assessment reports on the NRS web archive.
