Maude: Open Data is making government more accountable

The release of state data is making government more accountable to the public, embedding openness and transparency as core operating principles of public services, according to Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude.

The Coalition has released more than 7,500 datasets so far, including over 800 involving geographical information, Maude said this week in a Parliamentary written answer.

"These datasets have enabled the public to view and track instances of crime in their area, with police.uk having received hundreds of millions of hits since its launch, scrutinise Ministers' expenses and interrogate central and local government contracts," Maude went on in his response to a question from Jonathan Evans, the Conservative MP for Cardiff North.

The government will set out Open Data's potential to drive economic growth in the UK economy in the second phase of the Government's growth review, to be released alongside the Chancellor's Autumn Statement (scheduled for November 29).

Maude promises developments in the transparency agenda, moving away from a simple accountability model and we may see an impact assessment of policy proposals on the benefits of Open Data.

"Originally targeted at technical experts and software developers, we are reviewing and repackaging data.gov.uk so that it can serve the general public more directly, as well as meet the needs of developers," he added.