The Public Use of the Records (Management and Fees) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2016

Citation and commencement

1.  These Rules may be cited as The Public Use of the Records (Management and Fees) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2016 and shall come into operation on 15th December 2016.

Interpretation

2.  In these Rules—

“Deputy Keeper” means the Deputy Keeper of the Records of Northern Ireland;

“Office” means the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland;

“Reading room” means the area of the Office designated as such and in which records may be inspected;

“Search room” means the area of the Office designated as such and in which finding aids may be searched;

“Member of staff” means a person who is carrying out duties as an employee of the Department for Communities;

“FM contractor’s employee” means a person who is carrying out duties as an employee of a company contracted by the Department for Communities to provide facilities management services at the Office;

“Designated officer” means a member of staff or a FM contractor’s employee appointed as a designated officer by the Deputy Keeper to act on his behalf;

“Visitor” means a person other than:

(a)

a member of staff;

(b)

a FM contractor’s employee;

(c)

a person providing a service at the Office under a contract issued by the Department for Communities or by the Department of Finance.

Payment of fees

3.  The fees, as numbered in the first column of schedule 1, payable for the items or use of the records which are prescribed in the second column thereof, shall be the amounts in the third column of schedule 1.

Code of Conduct

4.—(1) The Deputy Keeper may from time to time publish on the official website of the Office a Code of Conduct.

(2) A Code of Conduct published under paragraph (1) shall include:

(a) the directions contained in schedule 2 to these Rules; and

(b) such other provision, including specific directions necessary for the management of the Office, as the Deputy Keeper considers appropriate.

Rules governing admission

5.—(1) A visitor seeking admission to the search room or to the reading room shall produce a valid Visitor Pass.

(2) To obtain a Visitor Pass, a visitor shall on, or before, the first occasion of seeking such admission—

(a) produce such evidence of identity as the Deputy Keeper may require;

(b) register, providing such details as the Deputy Keeper may require;

(c) sign a Declaration Form giving an undertaking to adhere to these Rules, to any Code of Conduct issued under rule 4 and to any other reasonable direction issued by the Deputy Keeper or by a designated officer.

(3) A person to whom a Visitor Pass has been issued under this rule must sign such copying and copyright declaration as the Deputy Keeper may require.

6.  A person to whom a Visitor Pass has been issued under rule 5 shall notify the Office in writing of any change of name or address.

7.  A person to whom a Visitor Pass has been issued under rule 5 shall be responsible for the security and safe handling of any record issued to him.

8.—(1) A person to whom a Visitor Pass has been issued under rule 5 may be excluded from the Office by revoking their Visitor Pass for a period of up to two years, for any of the following reasons—

(a) breach of these Rules;

(b) breach of any Code of Conduct issued under rule 4;

(c) damage to any record or other article in the Office; or,

(d) removal of any original record from the reading room.

(2) An appeal to the Deputy Keeper against exclusion from the Office must be made in writing.

Revocation

9.  The Public Use of the Records (Management and Fees) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2009(1) are revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 7th November 2016.

(L.S.)

Michael Willis (Dr)

A senior officer of the

Department for Communities