By Vivienne Russell | 18 March 2014
There should be a ‘presumption of openness’ on the publication of public data and government needs to devise ways to maximise its economic potential, MPs have said.
In a report, the public administration select committee said accessible and useable government data had the potential to empower citizens, make government more accountable and improve public services. It cited an assessment made by consultants Deloitte, which put the value of public sector information to consumers, businesses and the public sector at £1.8bn, while the ‘social value’ could be more than £5bn.
PASC chair Bernard Jenkin said the UK risked being left behind by other countries that were making faster progress on open data.
He said: ‘Government departments, led by the Cabinet Office, need to do much more to maximise the social and economic potential of open data, not least in increasing their own efficiency and effectiveness. It is not enough to simply put data “out there”.
‘Many civil and public servants lack the skills to interpret data properly and some civil servants do not seem to share the government’s desire for openness. There should be a presumption of openness, and a willingness to “publish early even if imperfect”.’
The report highlighted the case of the Postcode Address File, which was included in the sale of Royal Mail to boost the share price at flotation. But the MPs said this decision reflected a very ‘narrow’ view of the value of the PAF, which should have been retained as a public asset.
Jenkin said selling off the PAF was a mistake. ‘Public access to public sector data must never be sold or given away again,’ he said.
‘This type of information, like census information and many other data sets, is very expensive to collect and collate into usable form, but it also has huge potential value to the economy and society as a whole if it is kept as an open, public good.’
