ATISN 26-0010 disclosure response: retention and destruction schedules; no files found under the farm name, Western Ground Rents Ltd or BP Properties Ltd

 
1. All Welsh Government Retention Schedules, past and present, are available 
on the external website: Welsh Government retention and disposal schedule | 
GOV.WALES. Before 1997, the Welsh Office or other agencies would have 
had responsibility for areas affecting Wales and would have had their own 
retention schedules.    
 
2. Searches were carried out to find files mentioning the farm name and the 
companies listed in your request. No files were found and given the date 
range of your request, any routine records would have been destroyed in line 
with the corporate retention schedule applied at the time. Given the date 
range for the search, it is equally possible that records relating to this would 
not have been transferred to Welsh Government and disposition would have 
been carried out by a predecessor body.  
[email redacted]

 
 
 
 
3. Material with historical significance from this period would have been 
identified using the Welsh Office’s Operational Selection Policy (available on 
TNA’s website: OSP 7 - Welsh Office 1979-1997). Historical material would 
then have been transferred by us to The National Archives (or a designated 
Place of Deposit) for permanent preservation at the appropriate time (this was 
after 30 years at that time, subsequently reduced to after 20 years for WG 
material from 2023 onwards).  Records relating to Welsh Government 
property/deeds/leasing etc. are not transferred to TNA as they are not classed 
as “public records” like our business records are. These would be retained 
until the property is sold or lease agreements terminated. 
 
Next steps 
  
If you are dissatisfied with the Welsh Government’s handling of your request, you 
can ask for an internal review within 40 working days of the date of this response.  
Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Welsh Government’s 
Freedom of Information Officer at:  
 
Information Rights Unit 
Welsh Government 
Cathays Park  
[address redacted]
 
or e-mail: [email redacted] 
 
Please remember to quote the ATISN reference number above.     
 
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.  The 
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:   
 
Information Commissioner’s Office  
Wycliffe House  
[address redacted]
Wilmslow  
Cheshire  
[address redacted]
 
Website: www.ico.org.uk      
 
However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a 
complaint until it has been through our own internal review process. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
Emma Harvey-Woodason 
Departmental Records Officer 
Welsh Government