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Last updated: 23 November 2008
13 September 2006
229/06
The government today set out its commitment to sharing information between public services to expand opportunities for the most disadvantaged, fight crime and provide better public services.
Today's information–sharing statement, published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), goes hand in hand with the Social Exclusion Action Plan launched by the Government earlier this week to enable better multi–agency working to help and support the most disadvantaged people in society.
The statement sets out how information is already being shared in a common–sense way to deliver better public services. It also illustrates how information could be shared in the future to achieve the Government's goal of better public services – delivering better results for citizens, for businesses and for society as a whole.
Information Rights minister, Baroness Catherine Ashton, said:
“This government wants to deliver the best possible support to people in need. We can only do this with the right information about people's circumstances. We are determined that information–sharing will help us to better target support to the most disadvantaged in society.
“The Social Exclusion Action Plan shows how government will achieve this through agencies working together to focus on the unique needs of individual people or families. The information needed to make this happen already exists but it is not always shared. That is why the Government is committed to more information–sharing between public sector organisations and service providers.
“This statement sets out our vision for better, more customer–focused services supported by greater information–sharing which will protect and support individuals and society as a whole. Equally, we recognise that the more we share information, the more important it is that people are confident that their personal data is kept safe and secure.”
Minister for Social Exclusion and eGovernment Pat McFadden said:
“Reaching out to individuals with complex, multiple problems to improve their life opportunities requires a comprehensive, joined–up response. We can only do that when we work together to identify the people who most need our help – sometimes the very people who are least likely to seek that help – and to provide the support that they need to tackle those problems.
That means using information that may be held by different professionals and agencies more effectively. For example to consider how to allow different services to work together over a single high–need adult with multiple problems.
We know we need to retain public trust and to ensure that technology is used not only to transform public services, but also to protect the individual.”
A comprehensive plan for information–sharing across the public sector will be published in April 2007.
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