There are three consequences arising from the Prime Minister’s speech today. The first is that more information is to be made public and the publication scheme might be the vehicle for this enhancement; the second is that the reuse of public information is to be expanded considerably and reuse is likely to be free (i.e. no licence fee); the third relates to the ID Card project (which might be in trouble).
In relation to more access to information, the PM said “I can announce today that we will actively publish all public services performance data online during 2010 completing the process by 2011. Crime data, hospital costs and parts of the national pupil database will go on line in 2010. We will use this data to benchmark the best and the worst and drive better value for money".
All I would say is that the public has to know where to find such stuff – hence the publication scheme might assume increased importance for FOI practitioners. and their respective public authorities.
In relation to the re-use of public sector information, the Gordon Brown said: “Releasing data can and must unleash the innovation and entrepreneurship at which Britain excels - one of the most powerful forces of change we can harness”. He continued “All of this will be available for free commercial re-use, enabling people for the first time to take the material and easily turn it into applications, like fix my street or the postcode paper” and “we will also release public transport data hitherto inaccessible or expensive and release significant underlying data for weather forecasts for free download and re-use”. So there you have it – more reuse and for free.
In relation to the demise of the ID Card system, my observation starts from what the PM said about Transformational Government. He said that “Switching transactions to online channels also frees up staff to provide personal support and advice. ... So during the next year we will set out service by service how transactions with government will move online as rapidly as possible, starting with student loans, jobseekers allowance, working tax credits and then child benefit. In 2011 we will move to exclusive online vat returns and employer tax returns”.
He added “Our aim is - within the next five years - to shift the great majority of our large transactional services to become online only - and this has the potential to save as a first step 400 million pounds but as transaction after transaction goes on line billions more”.
Now, transformational government needs an Identity Management system and that system is NOT the centralised ID Card if the next 5 year deadline is to be realised. In any event, submitting tax returns on-line does not need to have my 10 fingerprints taken! So will the Government have two or more ID management systems? I think not. The conclusion is to divest yourself of ID Card shares quickly or expect that project to be mothballed or the passport system to take its place!
Reference: full speech on http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page21633
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