Requests to View Government Records Yet to be Declassified

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Communications and Information in each year since 2010 (a) how many requests have been received to view Government records that have yet to be declassified; and (b) how many of such requests have been approved.

As the custodian of Government records of national or historical significance, the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) works with Government agencies to facilitate access to Government records that have been transferred to NAS.

Since 2016, Government agencies have reviewed more than 5,000 Government records that were not declassified in response to 2,130 requests by members of the public. Eighty-three percent of these records have been approved for access. In total, some 68,000 file records have been declassified and are available for access.