CABINET OFFICE News
Release (CAB043/08) issued by The Government News Network on 1 April 2008
Cabinet Office
Minister Tom Watson has announced the creation of the Power of
Information Task Force, which will drive forward the Government
's pledge to meet rising aspirations of modern communications
practice and improve engagement with citizens through social media.
The Task Force will be chaired by Richard Allen with membership
drawn from leading internet practitioners, the civil service and
wider public service. It will renew the focus on the
Government's Power of Information agenda and commitment to
improve its overall capability in use of modern social media
A key goal is to increase innovation and improve the way the
Government shares information so ordinary people can develop
online services that benefit their community.
Launching the Task Force, Tom Watson said:
"There are new opportunities for Government to engage with
people in the online world. Every day, hundreds and thousands of
people come together online to solve problems and exchange ideas
on public policy issues - whether raising kids, tackling debt or
seeking health advice.
"The success of sites such as Netmums, moneysavingexpert and
fixmystreet, has proved the power of information. We need to
listen and learn from the experts so we can satisfy people's
desire for faster, better public services. I want to move quickly.
With advice from the Task Force, we will get on with improving
services for our citizens to match the pace of change."
Mr Watson said he would ask the Task Force to work closely with
HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Enterprise and
Regulatory Reform (DBERR) on reaching a consensus on the issue of
how much, if anything, users should be charged by the producers of
the originating information to cover their costs.
Mr Watson said:
"There has been a lively debate about whether the overall
benefits to the economy and society are better served by giving
the data away at marginal cost. The Treasury, with the Department
for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, published an
independent economic study in the Budget and announced its
intention to look at these issues during this spending review cycle."
The Government's interim progress report, published
yesterday, takes stock of progress made so far and highlights the
actions departments are taking to implement the review's recommendations.
This report outlines how Government is taking these
recommendations forward and focuses on:
* exploring ways in which Government can use online forums to
advise citizens
* the feasibility of making Government-owned
data such as maps more accessible to people to 'mash up'
with other public data to encourage citizens to engage on issues
they care about,
* Social media guidance for Civil Servants
(to be published in the Spring).
The Power of Information Task Force will take this work forward
and will work with departments to implement the findings.
Notes to editors
1. The Power of Information Task Force builds upon the
recommendations made by Tom Steinberg, Director of mySociety, and
Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council, in
their independent study of digital communication and public
information in the UK, commissioned by the Cabinet Office.
2. The Government welcomed the findings of Steinberg and
Mayo's review and responded in 2007.
3. The Interim Progress Report on implementing the
Government's Response to the Power of Information Review
takes stock of the Government's progress. To access the
interim response and previous reports and to read the full text of
Tom Watson's speech that launched the Task Force, visit: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/power_of_information.aspx
4. In February 2007 Cabinet Office Minister Hilary Armstrong
commissioned the review to "explore new developments in the
use and communication of citizen and State generated public
information in the UK, and to present an analysis and
recommendations to the Cabinet Office Minister as part of the
Policy Review."
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