Articles

NHS chief Sir David Nicholson has faced a storm of criticism in recent months as concerns over care quality have rocked hospitals across the country. He tells Suzannah Brecknell of his determination to fix the problems

The government must improve “basic housekeeping” of its published data to ensure that the public can assess its overall effectiveness, a report by the Institute for Government (IfG) says today.

How do you get civil servants to try new things? Joshua Chambers meets Paul Maltby, a man who thinks he knows the answer.

As chief executive of the Shareholder Executive, Mark Russell is responsible for overseeing the running of more than 20 government-owned businesses. Joshua Chambers meets him to discuss transparency, pay and privatisation

The Land Registry is making a data set that previously was paid-for available for free, as part of its open data programme, it has been announced today.

Companies House chief Tim Moss runs a happy team in laid-back Cardiff, but there’s plenty of tensions in his job – like those between deregulation and tackling fraud, or open data and revenue generation. Matt Ross meets him

The British Library’s vast collection is about to get much bigger. Suzannah Brecknell meets its new chief executive, Roly Keating, to find out how the world’s second largest library is reinventing itself for the digital age

People are using their mobile phones and tablet computers for a fast-growing range of tasks, and service providers must keep up. Joshua Chambers reports on how digital by default has morphed into mobile first

Under the coalition’s open data agenda, the trading funds are being encouraged to release more information without charge. But if they give away their biggest asset for free, how can they earn a living? Winnie Agbonlahor reports.

The government’s open data programme is going to transform what citizens know about individual civil servants. Joshua Chambers meets Paul Maltby, the government’s director of transparency, to find out more

A new network of research centres providing independent evidence to inform decision making in key policy areas will help to improve policy making in the civil service, according to Will Cavendish, executive director of the Cabinet Office's implementation unit.

The practice of allowing ministers and officials to see government statistics before publication presents “ a risk to public confidence in the independence of the statistical system” and government should “bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity” to put tighter controls on pre-release access, according to a select committee report published today.

More than half of civil servants struggle to access data from other parts of the public sector, a CSW poll carried out with data management firm Listpoint has revealed.

CSW recently brought a group of civil servants together to discuss the use of citizen data in reducing Fraud, Error and Debt (FED). Tim Gibson reports on the debate.

Less than a tenth of civil servants questioned by CSW believe the current model of financing trading funds is the best way to realise the coalition’s open data goals.

Professor Nigel Shadbolt

UK Open Data Adviser; Chairman and Co-Founder of the Open Data Institute

Andrew Dilnot, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, told the Public Administration Select Committee last week that he has written “six or seven” letters to departments complaining about the distortion of official statistics.

The Department for Education (DfE) should not make the National Pupil Database (NPD) available to the public, according to the Open Data Institute – a publicly-funded organisation dedicated to helping departments publish information and the private sector benefit from public data.

The government’s new Open Data Institute launched yesterday with an additional $750,000 (£466,000) investment from philanthropic body the Omidyar Network, run by the founder of eBay.

The Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) admitted last month that the personal data of its members was stolen more than two years ago.

The Open Data Institute, set to launch next month, aims to turn digital information into economic growth. Matt Ross meets its chief Gavin Starks, who sees data as the raw material for an important new British primary industry

In a bid to improve the operation of the NHS, the Department of Health is publishing reams of medical performance data and anonymised patient information. Tim Fish reports on a trailblazer in the government’s open data agenda.

The UK’s postcode address database should be released for free use by private companies, the chief executive of the new Open Data Institute (ODI) has told CSW.