Petition

Stop government destroying files in state departments without digital backups.

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

Stop destroying files, particularly in relation to crimes or which might be required at a later date. This is unnecessary when digital copies can be made before destruction.
To ensure anyone who may be involved in historic crimes are prosecuted and evidence is maintained.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We're not sure exactly how you'd like the Government or Parliament to change the law relating to the retention and disposal of records. For example, what types of information you'd like to be retained or archived that aren't already under existing legislation and how long you'd like them to be stored for.

You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.

Timeline

18 Feb 2026 Petition opened for signatures
27 Mar 2026 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11
Status Rejected
Rejected 27 Mar 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 23 Aug 2026.