This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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A group of MPs urge that the publication of data as part of the Government’s transparency agenda should be accessible and easily understood by all.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee has made a conclusion that the further work needs to be done in certain areas to “realise the full benefits of transparency”, including service improvement, public accountability and economic growth objectives.
In a committee’s report entitled “Implementing the transparency agenda”, MPs raised concerns over gaps in giving relevant information and over the reliability and comparability of data where it was of poor quality.
The Transparency Agenda is a pledge by David Cameron’s government to make public sector information more open and accessible, first outlined in 2010. A drive for open data could lead to stronger accountability in the public sector, help improve services and stimulate economic growth by offering new information to businesses.
For example, it noted the price and performance information for adult social care was incomplete and could not be easily compared across local authority boundaries. The committee also found that the Government data’s presentation was of poor quality.
Committee chairwoman, Margaret Hodge called on the Government to improve the way information is published.
“It is simply not good enough to dump large quantities of raw data into the public domain,” she said. “It must be accessible, relevant and easy for us all to understand. Otherwise, the public cannot use it to make comparisons and exercise choice, which is the key objective of the transparency agenda.”
The report concluded that in some sectors different provider types were subject to different transparency requirements, undermining the comparability of data for users.
The report also found the Government “does not understand” the costs, benefits and risks of publishing so much data at once. It indicated that there was a growing risk that privacy will be breached if different departments publish sets of information that could lead to people being identified.
Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude said: “This is the most transparent Government in British history and we are leading the world on this agenda. We thank the Committee for their support and will carefully review their report before responding.
“We agree that open data allows citizens to hold governments to account, drives improvements in public services by informing choice, and provides a feedstock for innovation and growth.”
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