Under our governing legislation – the National Archives Act, 1986 – we provide services to the public by making available and accessible the records we acquire. Once the records have been preserved and described, our primary obligation to the public under Section 11 of the Act, is to make the records available for their inspection in the Reading Room. Members of the public are therefore statutorily entitled to consult those records which are not withheld or bound by those conditions outlined in National Archives’ responsibility for archives.