Normal administrative practice
Public records may be destroyed by a public sector employee without any authorisation from PROV provided that they fall within the category of normal administrative practice (NAP).
NAP allows for the disposal of:
- working documents consisting of rough notes and calculations used only as a means to assist in the preparation of other records such as correspondence, reports and statistical tabulations
- drafts not intended for retention as part of the agency’s records, the content of which has been reproduced and incorporated into the agency’s recordkeeping system
- additional copies of documents, emails and publications maintained for reference purposes.
Who authorises the destruction?
The decision to destroy records under NAP is the responsibility of the government agency.
The following factors should be considered:
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is there any further administrative need to retain the record?
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are others still using the record?
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if you believe it’s just a copy, are you sure that an authoritative version has been kept?
The agency is responsible for ensuring that all staff understand NAP and can apply it correctly in their day-to-day work, for instance, in the management of email records.