MDDI’s Response to PQ on Outcomes of Archival Documentation Declassification Requests in Past 10 Years

Parliament Sitting on 7 April 2026

Question for Written Reply

17. Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information for each of the last 10 years, (a) how many requests for archival document declassification were made annually; (b) how many were approved; and (c) what were there top five reasons for rejection.

Answer:

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 the NAS.

The Member may wish to refer to a Parliamentary Question by Mr Leong Mun Wai at the sitting on 1 March 2023, where he asked about requests to view Government records yet to be declassified. In my response, I shared that Government agencies had reviewed more than 5,000 Government records in response to 2,130 requests by members of the public between 2016 and 2022.

Between 2023 and 2025, more than 4,000 Government records were reviewed by Government agencies in response to 2,361 new requests by members of the public.

In total, 72% of the Government records reviewed between 2016 and 2025 have been approved for access. The main reasons for rejection were national security, confidentiality obligations and personal privacy. Today, over 74,000 Government records have been declassified and are available for access.

From time to time, the Government may also release documents even if they have not been requested. We do this so the record of some key milestones in our history can be as full as possible. The recently released Albatross File is one example. Next year, NAS will also be releasing Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s Oral History.