PM asks web creator for data help

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called in Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, to help the government free up more data online.

In his statement on constitutional renewal, which covered a variety of different topics, he stressed the importance of government information being accessible. The PM said that to make sure the data was useful for the widest possible group of people, he had called in Sir Tim to help.

Brown added that Sir Tim would work with the government over the coming month to "drive the opening up of access to government data in the web".

Cabinet Office minister Tessa Jowell added: "From the performance of a local school to the most recent statistics on crime we need to make sure that people have the facts they need to make informed choices and hold public services to account. Sir Tim's advice will also be invaluable when it comes to how the internet can be used to make sure government engages with as many citizens as possible."

The improved accessibility of government data has become a key priority for the government recently. A Cabinet Office official discussed in a digital engagement blog at the beginning of the week how a website offering all available government data might work and asked for feedback.