Consultation on Data Policy for a Public Data Corporation

This consultation has now closed.

The Government’s overall approach to Transparency is being set out in Making Open Data Real: a public consultation. Transparency across government and public services is a powerful lever for a whole range of positive outcomes:

• Increasing accountability
• Building public confidence in government bodies
• Stimulating efficiency gains within the public sector
• Promoting greater citizen engagement
• Stimulating economic growth.

It is recognised that there are vast opportunities to support these outcomes in making the data that public sector organisations collect more freely available. Government is exploring what more it can do to maximise the growth opportunities from this data as part of the second phase of its Growth Review. More broadly the Open Data consultation makes a series of proposals aimed at establishing a culture of openness and transparency in public services, including enhancing a ‘Right to Data’ and how public service providers might be held to account for delivering Open Data.

Public Data Corporation

In January this year, the Government announced its intention to create a Public Data Corporation (PDC). This would bring together data-rich organisations with the aims of:

• providing a more consistent approach towards access to and accessibility of public sector information, balancing the desire for more data free at the point of use whilst ensuring affordability and value for taxpayers
• creating a centre of excellence driving further efficiencies in the public sector
• creating a vehicle that can attract private investment.

Government believes that a PDC will provide structures and incentives to promote greater access to, and usage of, public data and information, delivering benefits for the wider economy. There are also significant opportunities to drive efficiency and improvement of public services through better sharing of key data between organisations.

The Government has already made progress toward the establishment of a PDC, through bringing under single departmental sponsorship three organisations that may potentially form part of a PDC:

• HM Land Registry
• Met Office
• Ordnance Survey. 

A Transition Board has been established which will oversee the establishment of a PDC by the end of 2011.

In order to take decisions on membership, strategy and structure of a PDC it is critical that Government is clear about the data policy framework that will apply.

This consultation explores questions on key aspects of data policy – charging, licensing and regulation of public sector information produced by the PDC for re-use – that will determine how a PDC can deliver against all its objectives.

The responses to this consultation will enable Government to reflect on an appropriate policy framework before consideration of the business case and decisions on membership and structure of a PDC are taken in the autumn. 

How to respond 

Deadline for responses
27 October 2011

Download consultation
Consultation on Data Policy for a Public Data Corporation [PDF, 480kb]

Online
Through the Consultation on Data Policy for a Public Data Corporation website, or you can reply through this survey form.

Email
pdcconsultation@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk

Post

You can also respond by completing the consultation response form [RTF].

PDC Consultation
Transparency Team
Cabinet Office
4/W2
1 Horse Guards Road
London SW1A 2AS
Phone: 020 7271 1392