Open and closed records.
Schedule.
Application to inspect records.
2
(b) if it appears to the Chief Secretary, upon advice
to that effect by a public officer or the administra- tive head or officer for the time being in charge of any Government office which has deposited records in the Public Records Office that they contain information which was obtained from members of the public under such conditions that the opening of those records to the public after the period determined under Rule 4 would or might constitute a breach of good faith on the part of the Government or on the part of the persons who obtained the information, such records shall not be available in the Public Records Office for public inspection even after the expiration of the said period except in such circumstances and subject to such conditions, if any, as the Chief Secretary and the Archivist may approve, or, if the Chief Secretary and the Archivist think fit, after the expiration of such further period as they may approve.
6.
(1) Records which are available for public inspection under the provisions of Rule 4 are hereinafter referred to as open records and those public records which are not so available for public inspection are hereinafter referred to as closed records.
(2) The Archivist may, upon receiving special authority in that behalf from the Chief Secretary, permit any person to inspect closed records.
(3) Persons permitted to inspect closed records may be required to sign an undertaking in the form prescribed in the Schedule to these Rules.
(4) Where open records are bound, sewn, stapled or otherwise attached to closed records so as thereby to form a bound volume, file or other such compilation, the whole of the records contained in such bound volume, file or compilation shall be deemed to be closed records,
7. (1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (4) of this Rule, any person wishing to inspect public records in the Public Records Office shall apply in writing to the Archivist stating the purpose for which he requires access and the general nature of the records which he wishes to inspect.
(2) Each application made under the provisions of the last preceding paragraph shall be accompanied by a reference from the institution to which the applicant is attached, or, where the applicant is not attached to any institution, from a prominent and responsible person resident in Hong Kong,
(3) Every application accompanied by the reference referred to in the last preceding paragraph shall be submitted by the Archivist to the Chief Secretary for his consideration and the decision of the Chief Secretary thereon shall be final.