Subsection 3(4) of the Act allowed government departments to retain records that were either still in use 30 years after creation or were of special sensitivity, such as intelligence agency materials and weapons of mass destruction information.

The rules became unorganized in different pieces of legislation, and it wasn’t always clear how to handle the multitude of public records.

The 1958 Act tidied things up, essentially bringing all the rules together in one place and making them clearer and easier to resource.

It was this act that established the principle of transferring records from public offices to The National Archives, and other places of deposit, after 30 years unless they were selected for earlier destruction.

Given that the UK doesn't possess a formal written constitution and instead depends on historical customs, established protocols, and various statutes, the introduction of this act marked a notable moment.

[7] With the rise of digital technology, the nature of record-keeping has evolved, introducing new challenges and dynamics to the Public Records Act's remit.

Efforts have been ongoing to ensure that digital records are preserved and made accessible in the same vein as physical ones.