The planned decentralisation of a number of government departments and state agencies announced in December 2003 by the then Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevey has far reaching implications for the organisations involved. These implications have been widely discussed with the emphasis so far placed on managing staff, ensuring operational effectiveness, business continuity and coherence and similar issues involving the impact of organisational change. One issue that has received very little attention is records management and the effect decentralisation will have on the records created, maintained and stored by the decentralising organisations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs ‘Second Decentralisation Implementation Plan’ of March 2005 refers to the potential for temporary ‘loss of institutional memory’ during decentralisation. Accordingly, the Plan recommends that ‘progress in putting in place systems for knowledge management will be critical in advance of decentralisation’. Knowledge management systems, it should be noted, can only work effectively as part of a records management strategy, that is the creation of a structure that will provide an environment of effective information management that meets the ongoing organisational, regulatory and legislative requirements of the organisation or department in line with international best practice.

The Government’s current plan will require active consideration of this issue in order to ensure that records are retained and decisions and actions are documented. It may be the case that although the current system works effectively, the dispersal of personnel may mean that the person who ‘knows’ the current system and how to lay hands on specific files may no longer be available after a relocation.

Without sufficient consideration of records management policies and the proper planning for any dual location of departments or organisations there is a possibility that business continuity will be adversely affected. Another likely outcome of decentralisation is the inevitable backlog of unregistered or unknown files and other archives in department registries that may come to light during relocation. Should decentralisation move ahead without due regard to the issue of non-current records for example, the State will be faced with a massive build-up of files resulting in unmanageable ‘file silos’. It is essential that records management practices and procedures are put in place in order to deal with this.
Recent legislation such as Freedom of Information and Data Protection has increased public expectations of transparency and accountability. These legal compliance issues have focused the attention of both the government and the public and there is now a growing awareness of responsibilities with regard to records management.

The minimum requirement of every decentralising organisation should be that they review current systems in place and update existing policies. Information is a key resource within any organisation and must be managed correctly so that regulatory, legislative, administrative and other requirements can be met. Records are a vital part of the information landscape in that they reflect action and decision-making. The evidential nature of the record lies at the heart of records management and should be the basis of understanding when implementing a records management system.

The Department of Finance, as the government department responsible for implementing decentralisation are ideally placed to provide the lead on this issue. The Decentralisation Unit should offer sound guidance and determine responsibility for records and the creation of record policies during the process. This guidance should be with reference to the International Standard ISO 15489.

The decentralisation plan provides a unique opportunity for government and state agencies to address problem areas and introduce new records management procedures and policies that will ensure best practice in the future. Once in place a records management system creates an environment of effective information management that meets ongoing organisational, regulatory, and legislative requirements.

Decentralisation, it is widely believed, will bring a wide range of benefits. A move away from central government could bring about more efficient and responsive government and introduce a more progressive system of checks and balances. Before any moving process begins however, critical elements of decentralisation need to be addressed so that the impact of devolved decision-making can be properly assessed and the records management framework established to support the decision-making apparatus of the State and its agencies.

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