- Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 come in to force 25th July 2015.
- Require public sector bodies to make information available for re-use.
- Follows revised European Directive on re-use of public sector information.
- Increase accountability and create new opportunities for public sector information.
- Personal Data excluded from re-use.
- Educational and research establishments are not subject to the Regulations.
Original Author: Assent Tech Risk
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Content
New regulations have come in to force requiring public sector bodies to make information available for re-use. The Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 has been deprived from the European directive.
What Information can be Re-used?
The regulations apply to most public bodies who will need to make the information they produce as part of their public-task available for re-use. Previous 2005 regulations encouraged re-use but did not require it.
Exclusions & Restrictions
Information Re-use is not mandatory for Libraries, Museums and Archives but they do have to “consider” it.
Of course, this excludes personal data which remains covered by the Data Protection Act.
ICO’s Role
The Information Commission’s Office (ICO) has taken on the role of handling complaints under the regulations, including public-sector bodies in Scotland – as the act is also applicable there. Complaints can be raised after exhausting the internal complaints procedure of the public-sector body.
In a blog post, ICO say:
We will encourage public sector bodies to continue to make use of the Open Government Licence. Compliance with initiatives such as the Local Government Transparency Code will have prepared the ground.
Using the Regs
A marginal fee can be changed by the public sector body in order to make information available for re-use and it is expected online requests will be free.
The ICO is to issue more guidance on the following link: