524 No. 41 of 2021] Electronic Government (4) Subject to any other written law, a paper document may, following conversion into an electronic document, be archived, returned or destroyed as soon as further retention by the public body is no longer necessary on legal grounds or to ensure due quality of the conversion process. Access to files 15. A public body shall, where a right to inspect a file exists, grant access to files by— (a) providing a print-out of the documents concerned; (b) displaying the electronic documents on a screen; (c) transmitting electronic documents; or (d) permitting electronic access to the content of the files. Optimisation of administrative procedures and information on status of progress 16. (1) A public body may before introducing an information and communications technology system, apply established methods to document, analyse and optimise administrative procedures. (2) A public body shall, in the interests of the parties involved in the procedures, design the necessary work flows so that information on the status of progress and on the further course of the process can be retrieved by electronic means, together with contact information regarding the competent point of contact at the time of the inquiry concerned. (3) The National Coordinator may, on the request of a public body, waive the measures under subsection (1), where the measures will result in unreasonable costs or Joint automated procedures where those measures are impracticable or contrary to the purpose of the procedure concerned or breach a protective rule of law. (4) The processes under subsections (1) and (2) shall be documented. (5) Subsections (1) and (2) shall apply with necessary modification to any substantial changes to the administrative procedures or the information and communications systems used. Joint automated procedures Act No. 3 of 2021 17. (1) A public body may implement joint automated procedures with other public bodies to enable several data controllers to process personal data in or from a database. (2) Where joint automated procedures under subsection (1) are also intended to enable data retrieval by other bodies, the retrieval procedures, shall in relation to the protection of personal information, be implemented in accordance with this Act and the Data Protection Act, 2021.