Records and Publications
The Ministry of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes the registers, statements and guidance through which the Network makes its external relations known, and keeps the records on which they rest. This page lists what the Ministry publishes, describes the series in which its records are kept and explains how to request a copy of a record that is not already published.
The Ministry's practice is to publish by default. A record is withheld only where its series provides for a period of closure, where publication would prejudice a negotiation in progress, or where the Privacy Policy requires it. Records of permanent value are transferred in due course to the National Archive of the Network, which holds them thereafter.
What the Ministry publishes. Six publications are maintained on this site. Each is the responsibility of the office named beneath it.
- Register of Member Organisations
- The authoritative record of the organisations that belong to the Network, their sector, category of membership and year of admission. Updated on the day of any change and republished in full at the end of each quarter.
- Office of Member Relations
- Register of Agreements
- Every agreement in force between the Network and an outside organisation, with its reference, type, counterpart, member concerned and the date on which it came into force. Texts are published with the Register unless an agreement provides otherwise.
- Office of Agreements
- Order of precedence and forms of address
- The ranking of the bodies and officers of the Network at official occasions and the forms in which they are addressed. Amendments are announced before they take effect.
- Office of Protocol
- Statements and press releases
- Official communications of the Ministry, issued by the Office of the Spokesperson and published in the Newsroom on the day of issue. Statements remain available indefinitely.
- Office of the Spokesperson
- Guidance
- Guidance for businesses, employees, students and travellers engaging with the Network. Guidance is revised in place; the date of the last revision is stated on the page.
- Office of the Spokesperson
- Programme of meetings and records of decisions
- The programme of the Council of Members and its committees, and a record of the decisions taken at each meeting, published within ten working days of the meeting.
- Office of Member Relations
Record series. The records of the Ministry are kept in seven series. The table gives, for each series, what it contains, how long it is kept and the terms on which it may be seen.
| Series | Title | Contents | Retention | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN-1 | Registers | The Register of Member Organisations and the Register of Agreements, with the notices and decisions on which each entry rests. | Permanent | Published |
| MIN-2 | Agreements | Signed texts of agreements, negotiating drafts, records of consultation of members and correspondence with counterparts. | Permanent; transferred to the National Archive ten years after an agreement ends | Texts published; drafts and correspondence on request after the agreement ends |
| MIN-3 | Council of Members | Agendas, papers, records of decisions and attendance of the Council and its committees. | Permanent; transferred to the National Archive after twenty years | Records of decisions published; papers on request |
| MIN-4 | Correspondence | Letters received by and sent from the Ministry, other than those held in another series, indexed by correspondent and subject. | Ten years, then reviewed for transfer or destruction | On request, subject to the Privacy Policy |
| MIN-5 | Visits and ceremonies | Programmes of visits as carried out, records of outcomes and undertakings, guest lists and decisions on precedence. | Permanent; transferred to the National Archive after twenty years | Programmes and outcomes on request; guest lists after ten years |
| MIN-6 | Statements | Press releases and official statements as issued, with the drafts and clearances that preceded them. | Permanent | Statements published; drafts after five years |
| MIN-7 | Administration | Internal records of the Ministry's own organisation, staffing and expenditure. | Seven years, then destroyed unless of continuing value | Summary information on request |
Requesting a record. Any person may request a copy of a record held by the Ministry. Requests pass through five stages.
Step 1: Identify the record
Say as precisely as you can what you are looking for: the series, the subject, the parties and the approximate date. The reference number of an agreement or the date of a meeting is enough to identify most records.
Step 2: Write to the Ministry
Send the request by email to the Ministry, stating your name, the organisation on whose behalf you write, if any, and the form in which you would like to receive the record.
Step 3: Acknowledgement
The Ministry acknowledges the request within five working days and tells you which office holds the record and whether any part of it is not yet open under the rules for its series.
Step 4: Reply
The Ministry supplies the record, or the parts of it that are open, within twenty working days. Where a record has been transferred to the National Archive of the Network, the Ministry says so and passes the request on with your agreement.
Step 5: Review
If a request is refused in whole or in part, you may ask the Spokesperson to review the decision. The Spokesperson replies within twenty working days and gives reasons.
Common questions
Requests for records should be sent to contact@ministry.gov.vin. The handling of personal information in requests is described in the Privacy Policy. For the steps the Ministry follows in its business generally, see How We Work.