The Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information
Background
"Over the past decade, there has been a clear shift in UK government policy in relation to information generated from within or on behalf of the public sector. In short, the government has shown commitment to making public sector information (PSI) more easily accessible. There are two main strands of thinking here. One is that government should be more open: this has given rise to the Freedom of Information regime. The other strand is that PSI can and should be re-used where benefits can accrue. For example, geographical, meteorological, statutory and census data, although captured by government departments for use in the course of their regular activities, can also be used to good effect by others, such as publishers, traders, educators and citizens.
To be re-used, the information may well need to be re-organised and improved upon - either by government departments themselves or by private sector organisations. In turn, two broad challenges emerge. The first is to make sure that core public sector information is made available, under appropriate conditions, to intermediaries who can add value to it. The second challenge is more radical - it is about information management and knowledge management on a grand scale. It is about ensuring the valuable collective knowledge and experience (the "intellectual capital") of public sector workers is captured and re-used. Today it is under-managed and under-exploited. Knowledge has become disposable. Systematic recycling is required."
Professor Richard Susskind, OBE,
Chair of the Advisory of Panel on Public Sector Information
The Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information (PSI) came into force on 1st July 2005. These are based on an EU Directive which was approved by the Council of Ministers on 27th July 2003. The Regulations apply to Central Government and the wider public sector including Local Government, the NHS and Emergency Services although not the education sector.
The Directive and the Regulations
The Directive was promulgated in order to stimulate a latent market relating to information held in the public sector, a market which is worth many millions of pounds to public sector bodies in the UK and which is largely unexploited. Essentially, we in the public sector should recognise the inherent value in all the information we hold and then make decisions about whether we are prepared to allow others to re-use it, at a cost if appropriate thus bringing additional funds into the public sector.
An introduction to the interface between FOI and PSI can be found here.
