Before the winding up of the inquiry, it is important to make decisions regarding which records can be disposed of and which will be permanently preserved to serve as the record of the inquiry. Taking selection decisions at the point at which information is created is an effective way of ensuring efficiencies are made and a comprehensive inquiry record is preserved.

The secretary should make sure that inquiry staff are clear on where to file vital records and understand what needs to be preserved beyond the publication of the final report and after the inquiry has come to an end. Decisions over what information should be kept for permanent preservation should also be documented to ensure transparency in the selection process.

The inquiry needs to agree with The National Archives (and, where applicable, the Cabinet Office and sponsoring department) what is required for permanent preservation. This includes agreement over the destruction of information which is deemed to have no long-term value. In the course of evaluating the value of inquiry records, teams should consider the following:

• It should be made clear which records of the inquiry are required for permanent preservation, including such administrative records as can demonstrate effectively the independence of the inquiry process
• The inquiry should store and maintain any records identified for transfer in accordance with best practice prior to their transfer. (For more details about managing records see the Freedom of Information Act section 46 Code of Practice)
• Selection decisions are not based on the format of the records but on the nature and contents. However, the format and any metadata or licensing issues need to be identified and raised at an early stage with The National Archives or sponsoring department
• Original records (or parts of a record) should not be permanently destroyed solely because they are highly sensitive. To do so would compromise the authenticity of the record and detract from the accountability and credibility of the inquiry and they can be given the necessary protection by means short of destruction
• Any remaining records of the public inquiry not selected for permanent preservation can be set for destruction or review after a stated period. These should be agreed with The National Archives
• The inquiry team needs to demonstrate that there is a mechanism in place for the secure destruction of agreed material and including electronic backups
• Most administrative and housekeeping records can be destroyed in accordance with generic retention scheduling guidelines issued by The National Archives
• Disposal schedules should be passed to the sponsoring department, which detail relevant records and the date of which they were destroyed. The National Archives has published a Appraisal recommendations for Public Inquiries, which inquiries set up under the Inquiries Act 2005 should use. The National Archives recommends that that all other inquiries adopt this retention schedule as best practice
• The National Archives can be contacted for ongoing advice on selection and disposal, by phone or via the following email: GovernmentHelpPoint@nationalarchives.gov.uk

The inquiry team should consider the following pieces of information for permanent preservation (although this is not an exhaustive list):

• the inquiry report, including the initial draft report, subsequent drafts in which substantial changes were made and the final published version
• the contents of the inquiry website
• audio records and transcripts of interviews and hearings
• all evidence relevant to the terms of reference
• all minutes of the inquiry panel or meetings held during the course of the inquiry by the panel
• correspondence by the inquiry team with members of the public, interested parties, and government bodies
• witness statements and expert reports
• evidence of steps taken to secure the attendance of witnesses
• all written submissions and transcripts of oral submissions
• establishment documentation including terms of reference, protocols created by the inquiry to regulate its conduct, policies concerning the conduct of the inquiry, advice given by counsel to the inquiry in relation to its conduct, criteria used for determining the relevance of material presented to the inquiry from all sources, internal procedures and overall costings.

Find out more:

The National Archives’ appraisal policy (PDF, 0.11 MB)

It is important that there is clarity of copyright and ownership of intellectual property within the inquiry’s records. In the course of the inquiry any information created by civil servants or other officers or servants of the Crown will be Crown copyright. Clarity will be required for other material including the finished report, the evidence and any source materials considered during the inquiry process. The inquiry terms of reference should specify that the copyright in the report and any associated materials produced by the chair and members of the inquiry shall also rest with the Crown. The chair should consult the Cabinet Office and The National Archives, who may in turn need to consult their respective legal advisers.

Wherever possible, the easiest solution to manage and administer will be for the copyright of inquiry records to rest with the Crown. This is because well-established licensing processes for Crown and Crown-owned copyrights are already in place through the UK Government Licensing Framework and the Open Government Licence (OGL) – these licences facilitate and encourage the re-use of public sector information, including important public documents such as inquiry reports. This will ensure not only that the chair and the members of the inquiry team will also have unfettered access to the materials but that others will be able to access and re-use it. This is important in the interests of openness and transparency.

During the establishment and course of the inquiry the following points should be considered:

• To ensure that the Crown is able to authorise re-use, the chair should arrange for the copyright in the report and any associated materials produced by the chair, members of the inquiry, and other inquiry staff to be assigned to the Crown. The chair should ensure that members of the inquiry are aware of the copyright arrangements and that everyone working on or for the inquiry sign any appropriate copyright assignment documents unless they are officers or servants of the Crown, for example civil servants who have been officially seconded to the inquiry.
• The inquiry needs to identify and safeguard the copyright and ownership of any content maintained by electronic software that the inquiry utilises at the earliest possible stage. In particular, software licences must be obtained, not only for the inquiry but which also apply to the Crown for the term of the copyright. For example, contractual agreements should include provision for the transfer of the software licence, the migration of data after the inquiry, and the ownership of the content.
• The chair should ensure that permission has been acquired, by licence, to use and re-use all third-party copy material (i.e. material produced by people other than the members of the inquiry team). Ideally third-party copy should be made available under the terms of the OGL. This copyright should be appropriately acknowledged and the source identified subject to redactions for Data Protection purposes.
• The inquiry team needs to resolve any other copyright issues which would, for instance, prevent HMG from hosting material on a government website following the closure of the inquiry. Archiving and republication of material of the website by The National Archives as part of its web archiving programme to preserve the public record is permitted under section 47 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
• It is important that in the interests of transparency and openness all obstacles to reporting, publishing, disseminating and granting the right of re-use of materials created or obtained by or submitted to the inquiry are minimised. This will require clarity from the outset as to how materials are to be used during the inquiry as well as after it has reported. The terms under which the output of broadcasters and other news media will be used should also be clarified.
• The importance of clear licensing of copyright should be made plain to people who are giving evidence to the inquiry. Upon commencement, an inquiry usually issues a statement inviting people and groups to submit evidence. This should say that any evidence given will be subject to licensing terms permitting use as required by the inquiry (preferably the OGL), followed by permanent preservation at The National Archives and public access when the information is no longer confidential or sensitive.
• It is suggested that for any televised proceedings the inquiry acquires licences ensuring future access arrangements. With regards to audio/visual content of proceedings presented on the inquiry website, The National Archives may reproduce the content in accordance with section 47 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, however the inquiry should ensure licences are put in place to enable HMG  to continue to make this material available to the public following the closure of the inquiry.

Find out more:

UK Government Licensing Framework

Copyright and related rights (PDF, 0.71MB)

Crown copyright: An overview for government departments (PDF, 0.10MB)

Section 163 of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Creating and maintaining the official public inquiry website

The official public inquiry website will be a useful tool for sharing information and publishing reports or evidence. This resource is a primary record of any inquiry, and will be captured by The National Archives into the UK Government Web Archive. Therefore the management of an inquiry website should be part of a wider approach to information and records management. If you would like guidance before the inquiry website is created, please email us at webarchive@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Here are some things that can be done to help make websites easier to archive. You can also read our detailed technical guidance on How to make your website archive compliant.

Website crawling and technical requirements

• Contact The National Archives as early in the process as possible, so that we are aware of the website and can work with the inquiry team to make preparations for its archiving. Once this contact is established, The National Archives can provide updates on progress and arrange the final crawl of the website once the inquiry is dissolved. You can contact the web archiving team at webarchive@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
• The initial crawl of the inquiry website will start early in the process, when there may be little content hosted on the website. This is both for posterity and to assess the suitability of the design of the website for web archiving.
• The site will be captured at least once each year while the inquiry is in progress.
• Keep all content under one root URL (for example https://www.mydomain.gov.uk/). As the scope of the web crawl is for content within this root, content from outside this will not automatically be archived. This makes it easy to identify that the entire site has been captured, thus ensuring transparency of process and data during and post the inquiry.
• Publishing content in cloud or web document services (such as Sharepoint or Google Drive) could cause problems in the web archiving process as they may not automatically be captured. If you plan to use any of these services, please contact the Web Archiving team.
• Present everything on your website through the HTTP or the HTTPS protocol and make sure that it is used consistently throughout the website.
• Only content linked to from a page within the scope of the crawl will be archived, as the crawler relies on discovering links in the coding of the page.
• Use meaningful URLs. These are good practice for a number of reasons, including usability, security, and search engine optimisation.
• Hyperlinks inside files attached to the website will not work in the archived version. This includes links in PDF, Word, Excel, ODF and other file types. Any resources only linked to via a hyperlink in a non-HTML document will not be captured. Please ensure links to the resources are also provided on an HTML page.
• Keep navigation as basic as possible, by providing static links, link lists and basic page anchors, rather than JavaScript and dynamically generated URLs. If using scripting (such as JavaScript) on your website, provide plain HTML alternatives – this supports accessibility for users and supports archiving.
• We can’t archive content that relies on HTTP POST requests, since no query string is generated. Using POST parameters is fine for certain situations such as search queries, but you must make sure that the content is also accessible via a query string URL that is visible to the crawler, otherwise it will not be captured.
• It is not usually possible to crawl databases. Any data held in databases should be published on the website using basic, static links.
• Provide an XML sitemap, which lists and links to all of the content on your website. This is useful for users, makes your website more findable by search engines and supports archiving. Please let the Web Archiving team know the location of your XML sitemap once it is live.
• Information needs to be ‘machine reachable’, which means that it can be reached by a web crawler. Information that needs a tick box, pick list, drop-down menu or a search box to access it is not machine reachable and so cannot be captured by a web crawler. If this functionality must be a feature of the live website, provide plain HTML alternatives.
• The National Archives can only archive publicly-accessible content. Any content that is behind log-ins or in other inaccessible areas, should either be published on the website if appropriate, or transferred to The National Archives by other means. If unsure, please contact the Government Help Point at GovernmentHelpPoint@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Video and audio

• We are able to archive videos hosted on YouTube directly from the YouTube channel. The videos will display as part of our collection of archived YouTube channels. It is not technically possible to embed archived YouTube videos in archived web pages.
• Media content can also be archived if it is presented on the website via progressive download, through HTTP or HTTPS and with absolute URLs.
• Audio-visual material should be linked to using absolute URLs (https://www.mydomain.gov.uk/video/video1.mp4) rather than relative URLs (…video/video1.mp4) in the coding of the page.
• Consider providing full transcripts of all audio-visual material.
• Where the inquiry website includes third party audio-visual material, inquiry staff will need to arrange for assignment of copyright to The National Archives or at the least permission from the copyright owners to reproduce the content from the UK Government Web Archive both during the inquiry and in perpetuity following the end of the inquiry lifetime.

Quality assurance and maintenance

• If any content on the live website is broken at the time the site is archived, it will not be captured as part of the web archiving process. The National Archives recommends the inquiry team checks the live website thoroughly and fixes any broken links before the final archiving process is launched.
• In order to ensure successful archiving, it is necessary to figure in the time required for crawling, quality assurance, fixing any issues and publishing the crawl in our public index. This takes approximately two months. Please ensure that the website will remain live and unchanging for this period, so that The National Archives can take a final and complete snapshot.
• The National Archives strongly recommends that those involved in the release of inquiry records, or are otherwise familiar with the design of the website, are available during the quality assurance stage to ensure the web capture is comprehensive.
• No content can be inserted into the archived website after the live website has been taken off-line. Any content not available on the website at the time of crawl, or not accessible because the above guidelines have not been met, cannot be inserted into the web archive after the live website comes down.
• The underlying code of an archived website cannot be altered in the web archive. That means that website managers should confirm that their website is ready to be archived and that the content will remain perpetually unchanged.
• Content can only be removed from archived websites in exceptional circumstances, when it adheres to one or more of the criteria set out in the Takedown and reclosure policy.
• Retain the domain after the final snapshot of the website has been made. This is essential as it prevents ‘cybersquatting’ and can give users continuity of access to the inquiry’s online records, if a redirect is set up into the web archive.

Social media

• We are able to archive videos hosted on YouTube directly from the YouTube channel. The videos will display as part of our collection of archived YouTube channels. It is not technically possible to embed archived YouTube videos in archived web pages. The National Archives recommends all videos related to an inquiry are hosted on a single channel. Please let the web archiving team know the location of the channel.
• Twitter, Flickr and Instagram feeds can also be archived. For Twitter only Tweets made by the feed will be captured, not retweets or responses to Tweets. Please let the web archiving team know the location of your channels.
• It is possible to capture content hosted on some blogging platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr. If you plan to host content on these or similar platforms please contact the web archiving team for advice.
• It is not possible to capture content hosted on other social media channels such as Facebook or LinkedIn. If you host content on these or other social media channels they will need to be preserved via your own website or in other electronic systems.

Copyright

• In order for your website to be available in perpetuity through the UK Government Web Archive, it is essential that all content is either Crown copyright or appropriate licences are in place with third party copyright holders to allow The National Archives to copy and make available all content on the website.
• Make sure that your website has a clear copyright statement as this will make it clear to future users who own the copyright and under what terms it may be reused under the Open Government Licence. This applies to all content on your website.
• Make sure that any media or copy that is copyright to a third party is clearly marked as such.

Find out more:

How to archive a website with us

How to archive a social media channel with us

How to make your website archive compliant

During the course of a public inquiry staff will create and manage large volumes of digital information in varying file formats. An increasingly important element of The National Archives’ role is to collect, preserve and make available digital information of historical significance. This includes information created by inquiries and, therefore, inquiry staff will need to select and review their digital files in preparation for transferring them to The National Archives or other appropriate government department.

Some of this information will be created and held on the web. The National Archives will capture the inquiry website as part of the UK Government Web Archive, and we have written some guidelines to help create your website to facilitate this process. Please see our guidance on creating an official public inquiry website.

It is an important principle that the selection of records for permanent preservation should be conducted irrespective of the format in which these records are held. The National Archives will always try to accept records in their native format. However, inquiry staff should understand that technical limitations surrounding the review and transfer of digital information can make the process complex and potentially time-consuming. In order to make this process more efficient for public inquiries, The National Archives recommends that the following points are considered:

• Choose ‘standard’ formats for the documents you produce. This will make it easier for you to work with, publish and share information, and for us to collect, preserve and provide access to it.
• If your inquiry receives or produces information in other formats (such as films, photographs or recordings), discuss your choice of technology with The National Archives (or other intended repository) as soon as possible so that potential issues can be investigated.
• The National Archives’ transfer metadata requirements for the digital records you send to us are minimal (file name, creation date, folder structure, whether the record is open or closed). You should, however, assess what additional metadata you require for your own business purposes (which could include fields such as author, subject, access rights, protective marking, sensitivity, date and so on).
• Ensure that any system you use to manage your digital information meets your needs, including your need to identify and select records for permanent preservation and review them to identify the nature of any continuing sensitivities that might delay their release. The tools you require will include effective search functionality for quick retrieval of information and a usable export mechanism, so that the original files and their metadata can be exported at the end of the inquiry.
• Record the copyright of any evidence that is submitted, or any material that is published on the inquiry website. Identify any licensing issues that might prohibit re-use or release of the evidence post the inquiry.
• The inquiry website will be captured as part of The National Archives’ web archiving service. This process requires plenty of time in order to resolve any technical issues, and it is therefore recommended that The National Archives be involved at least three months prior to the winding up of the inquiry (and preferably as soon as the inquiry team is established). The National Archives will take regular crawls of inquiry websites and quality-assure the data to ensure continued access to the information. Where appropriate, you should publish open records and information on your website as the inquiry progresses.
• Inquiries that last a considerable length of time will need to ensure that digital information remains usable. Unlike paper records, digital records are vulnerable and will not survive without active management and migration. Please see our digital continuity guidance (below) for further information.

Find out more:

Technical guidance for inquiries and inquests (PDF, 0.08MB)

Managing digital continuity

During the course of a public inquiry large volumes of information, in varying formats, will be created and stored. It is good practice to organise this information into a meaningful filing structure. This will enable records to be readily found and understood and will help effective management of sensitive information in compliance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998.

The filing plan for both paper and digital files should reflect the activities of the inquiry through a planned and managed series of folders. This will allow staff to file and retrieve information efficiently as well as allowing the inquiry secretary to control access to information.

A file plan should:

• be easy to understand for those who add and use information within it
• classify the information according to the activities of the inquiry
• apply to all records of the inquiry including both paper and electronic record collections
• provide and preserve context within which the records were created
• allow associated metadata to be captured and managed – metadata is technical or cataloguing information about digital or paper records
• provide appropriate levels of access to inquiry staff and security for sensitive information

Placing records into an effective file plan will help ensure that the inquiry complies with relevant legislation. A file plan should help keep a comprehensive and well ordered record in compliance with the Public Records Act 1958 and Inquiry Rules 2006. When establishing the file plan, inquiry staff should also consider the management of sensitive information, such as personal data or information that needs a protective marking. The file plan should help the inquiry to comply with the seventh data protection principle, which requires precautions against unauthorised or unlawful processing, damage, loss or destruction.

Reviewing information at the end of the inquiry process can be expensive and time consuming, and good records management processes can help facilitate efficient sensitivity reviews. For example, if information is expected to be subject to Freedom of Information (FOI) exemptions once the inquiry record passes to a body subject to the FOI Act, such as The National Archives or the sponsoring department, this should be recorded at the point of filing and the information placed into an appropriate part of the filing plan. Sensitive material needs to be easily identifiable within the filing structure established by the inquiry team and must be managed according to data handling guidelines, both during and after the life of the inquiry.

Find out more:

Standard file creation (PDF, 0.37 MB)

FOIA Section 46 code of practice

Data handling procedures in Government

An information management policy provides the authoritative statement of the principles for the management of the public inquiry records. It need not be a lengthy document, but it is a statement of commitment by the inquiry to manage information appropriately so as to comply with information legislation, meet the ongoing needs of the inquiry team and deliver a well-ordered and comprehensive record at the end of the inquiry process.

It is important to establish a successful information management policy from the outset of an inquiry, as it will act as a mandate for supporting processes and procedures, while demonstrating the value of these to inquiry staff.

An information management policy is particularly vital as it will help inquiry staff to manage digital information in accordance with best practice. This is because in a digital environment it is more difficult to ensure that records remain complete, authentic and accessible.

The policy should highlight to staff how good information management can support day-to-day operations, ensure that the inquiry meets its statutory obligations, and deliver time and money efficiencies at the end of the inquiry process.

The National Archives recommends that the policy includes the following points:

• roles and responsibilities for the management of the inquiry’s records should be assigned to key officials within the public inquiry
• business processes, decisions, activities and transactions need to be recorded to form a comprehensive record of the inquiry
• information needs to be managed in such a way that it is accessible and meaningful, in the right format, to those who need to use it
• requirements for the management of all digital information created by the inquiry should be recorded (including scanned evidence, the inquiry website and electronic mail)
• any record that the public inquiry creates (including public records tabled as evidence) is Crown property and therefore subject to the Public Records Act 1958
• principles for the selection of records for permanent preservation needs to be defined including the type of information that can be disposed of
• sensitive information needs to be managed in accordance with best practice and in a manner that facilitates an efficient review of selected records prior to transfer

Find out more:

Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued under section 46 the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Records management policy – guide 3 to section 46 code (PDF, 0.63MB)

The roles and responsibilities of all parties should be established at the outset of the inquiry. To facilitate this process we recommend that before the inquiry hearings start, inquiry staff meet with The National Archives, and, if applicable, representatives of the sponsoring department. This will help the inquiry put in place effective information management processes and ensure that all parties are clear on how the record will be delivered after the inquiry’s conclusion.

Summary of the roles and responsibilities:

The National Archives

• has a statutory responsibility to advise on best practice and standards in the management of public records
• liaises with and provides guidance to inquiry staff
• agrees the selection of the inquiry record for permanent preservation
• provides advice and guidance on the preparation and cataloguing of records selected for transfer
• archives the inquiry website

The inquiry chairperson

• ensures that the record of the inquiry is comprehensive and well ordered
• establishes a secretariat that has responsibility for the operational management of the inquiry record
• transfers custody of the inquiry record to a government department or The National Archives at the conclusion of the inquiry

The secretary of the public inquiry

• agrees policies and processes for information management
• ensures that inquiry staff are fully aware of the need to safeguard and maintain adequate records of the inquiry work
• arranges for the identification and archiving of records with long term historical value

The sponsoring department

• advises on the operation of records management procedures in the department and inquiry
• agrees which records will be transferred to The National Archives or government department
• oversees the transfer of records selected for permanent preservation to The National Archives
• supervises the timely destruction of records that are no longer required

Public inquiries investigate issues of serious public concern, scrutinising past decisions and events. It is therefore crucial that information created or used during the course of an inquiry is managed to ensure its survival for future policy makers and researchers.

Without effective information management right from the start a public inquiry will struggle to run efficiently, justify its findings or provide a lasting record.

Public inquiries are conducted on behalf of the Crown, which therefore means that records created or given to the inquiry are public records as defined by the Public Records Act 1958. Those responsible for public records, including the chairman of a public inquiry, have a duty to make arrangements for the selection of those records which ought to be permanently preserved and for their safe-keeping. Under the Inquiry Rules 2006 it is also the responsibility of the chairman to ensure ‘the record of the inquiry is comprehensive and well-ordered’.

Each resource below is listed by type, and details the resource name, owner (in brackets), brief description and link.

This resource base is intended to be a ‘living document’. If you wish to contribute a resource or comment on the accuracy of any of these resources please email: information.management@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Legislation

Data Protection Act 1998 (Ministry of Justice / ICO) – Provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to individuals, including obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information.

Guidance

SOCITM Insight guides (SOCITM) – This is a commercial subscription service that undertakes research into best practice in order to help subscribers improve their organisations through technology. SOCITM produces publications and briefings, and also supports a number of benchmarking and other services.

Each resource below is listed by type, and details the resource name, owner (in brackets), brief description and link.

This resource base is intended to be a ‘living document’. If you wish to contribute a resource or comment on the accuracy of any of these resources please email: information.management@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Legislation

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Ministry of Justice/Information Commissioner’s Office) UK government legislation defining what information public sector organisations are obliged to provide on request. In order to meet the obligations of the Act, public bodies must have effective information and records management processes in place; there is a code of practice for dealing with Freedom of Information requests under section 45 of the Act.

Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (Defra) – The Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) give the general public certain rights of access to environmental information. The definition of environmental information in the EIRs is very wide and includes information that might not be considered environmental at first glance. EIRs only cover environmental information – Freedom of Information covers all information held by public authorities.

Guidance

Open Government Licence (The National Archives) – The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) has developed this licence as a tool to enable information providers in the public sector to license the use and re-use of their information under a common open licence. The Controller invites public sector bodies owning their own copyright and database rights to permit the use of their information under this licence. It is recommended that this is the default for published information.

Public Data Cooperation (Cabinet Office) – The Corporation will, for the first time, bring together government bodies and data into one organisation and provide an unprecedented level of easily accessible public information and drive further efficiency in the delivery of public services.

data.gov.uk (Cabinet Office) – The government is releasing public data to help people understand how government works and how policies are made. Some of this data is already available, but data.gov.uk brings it together in one searchable website. Making this data easily available means it will be easier for people to make decisions and suggestions about government policies based on detailed information.

DoH Information Centre (Department of Health) – Example of information publication website from the Department of Health.

Transparent Government, Not Transparent Citizens: A Report on Privacy and Transparency for the Cabinet Office (Cabinet Office) – In December 2010, a review was conducted around the issues for privacy that were raised by the Coalition government’s transparency programme. Experts in government, civil society activists, academics and many others were consulted to try to reconcile the desire for open government with the privacy of individual citizens. Fourteen recommendations are made in this document.

Disclosure Control Policy for Social Survey Microdata (Office for National Statistics) – This policy provides guidance on releasing microdata in accordance with the CoP and specifically Principle 5: Confidentiality.

Communique on Principles for Internet Policy-Making (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) – The Seoul Declaration on the Future of the Internet Economy adopted at the 2008 OECD Ministerial on the Future of the Internet Economy recognised that the internet provides an open, decentralised platform for communication, collaboration, innovation, creativity, productivity improvement and economic growth.

The National Archives’ publishing guidance (The National Archives) – The National Archives provides a wide range of guidance about official publications as part of a series of guidance notes designed to guide, alert and advise on a range of publishing, copyright and access matters.

Code of Practice for Official Statistics (UKSA) – In a highly decentralised statistical service, the Code will serve to establish common standards and, by so doing, help to ensure a coherent and trustworthy service to the user of statistics.

Making Open Data Real: A Public Consultation (Cabinet Office) – The Open Data consultation paper sets out the government’s proposed approach for transparency and open data strategy, which is aimed at establishing a culture of openness and transparency in public services.

Open Public Services (Cabinet Office) – This series brings together all documents relating to choice and opening up public services.

Examples and best practice

Open Government Licence (The National Archives) – The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) has developed this licence as a tool to enable information providers in the public sector to license the use and re-use of their information under a common open licence. The Controller invites public sector bodies owning their own copyright and database rights to permit the use of their information under this licence. It is recommended that this is the default for published information.

Legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) – The official home of UK legislation.

TheyWorkForYou (MySociety) – Hansard and official reports for the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, Welsh Senedd and London Assembly.