Public Information (Commercial Use)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:17 pm on 12 November 2007.

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Photo of Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas Parliamentary Under-Secretary(Department for International Development) (Trade Policy) (also Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) (Trade and Consumer Affairs) (also Department for International Development), Party Chair, Co-operative Party 10:17, 12 November 2007

We need to complete the research to which I have alluded, which is absolutely key. As my hon. Friend rightly said in reference to the expertise of those bodies, the last thing that the Government believe is that we should destabilise them. There are discussions under way within Government. We are seeking to achieve the policy objectives set out by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and more information will be made available to my hon. Friend and to the House in due course.

The Office of Public Sector Information plays a crucial role in the management of Crown copyright information. A wide range of Government information can be reused under the online licensing system, which is managed by OPSI. In addition to the work of OPSI, some parts of Government, mostly the trading funds, operate under delegated authority. Delegations of authority confer the right on Government organisations to license the reuse of material that they produce. They are subject to the Government organisations complying with the standards of fairness and transparency as set out in the information fair trader scheme. Public sector information holders should apply exactly the same terms to all commercial reusers of their information, including when they are reusing their own information. It is essential that there is transparency and fairness and it is unlawful to discriminate between reusers under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005, regardless of whether they are public or private.