There are various aspects of the current arrangements that make it very difficult to access historical records.
A large part of that is that the government really doesn't know what it has already released. These records are in various different departments. In some cases, I've been able to obtain records, and then I've asked for a similar file from another department. They have no way of tracking what has already been released by a different department, so they're spending an awful lot of time re-reviewing these records that have already been released. They're just not aware of what's already out there, and they still have a very narrow view of what they think can be released.
That's a problem when departments are complaining that they're overwhelmed with work when they're essentially creating additional work for themselves.
The other fundamental problems are more linked to information management and so on, but that feeds into the access process, because if the researcher isn't aware that a particular file exists, they can't really ask for it. Requests for general information on a given subject are very awkward. It doesn't usually provide useful information. It's much more effective to request a specific archival file, but as I said, if the researcher isn't aware that it exists, then a specific request can't be made.