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Written by Adrian Janes
 The early days of the Internet saw great optimism as to the potential for the freeing up of information and consequent greater accountability of governments. The Internet's very existence, as well as legislation like the UK's Freedom of Information Act (2000), has indeed improved the availability of information in some respects. However this greater openness in releasing information has in turn heightened the problem of locating it, partly because of the sheer quantity involved. This article will attempt to be a guide to some of the major sites and pathways to UK government information.
Transition Period
At the moment, UK government websites are in a period of transition. The enthusiasm for eGovernment of a few years ago led to an explosion of websites. However the existence of so many was by no means justified financially or functionally, not least because some proved difficult to find or their design was unhelpful. A two-pronged strategy of reducing the number of websites and making better use of those remaining is now being pursued.
Directgov (http://www.direct.gov.uk), the successor to UK Online, is the major gateway to information, whether at the central or local government level. The site is searchable across government organisations, and is particularly concerned to facilitate interactivity (e.g. obtaining a passport, booking a driving lesson). But its wide remit leads to onscreen clutter and often an unwieldy number of results when running a search. If possible, it is usually more efficient to head straight for the website of the relevant department or agency.
Knowing the relevant source for the required information may not always be straightforward, however. There have been a number of reorganisations in just the 11 years since New Labour came to power. Reorganisations lead to renaming of departments and reallocation of functions, or the introduction of entirely new ones, and can cause difficulties in tracing both present publications and those of a department's forerunners.
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in July 2007, it led to several significant changes in this respect. Thus the Department for Education and Skills (http://www.dfes.gov.uk) was split into the Department for Children, Schools and Families (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (http://www.dius.gov.uk) (In fact the URL of the Dfes is still being used for some webpages of the Dcsf.) Similarly, the Department for Trade and Industry http://www.dti.gov.uk) became the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) (http://www.berr.gov.uk).
Broad directories
Fortunately, a number of sites offer well-maintained directories. Have Your Say Now (http://www.haveyoursayonline.net/home/haveyoursaynow) is an extensive alphabetical list of departments and agencies provided by The Stationery Office (TSO). TSO was once the exclusive publisher of UK Government information. However its privatisation was part of a wider process in which governmental bodies were encouraged to make their own publication arrangements. Nonetheless, its long experience in the field and retention of some official publishing contracts makes the TSO Bookshop (http://www.tsoshop.co.uk) an essential source of awareness of both major and many lesser publications. Free tailored email updates are also available.
Tagish (http://www.tagish.co.uk) is divided broadly into Central and Local Government websites. The former category is then subdivided into Central Government; Government Offices and Agencies; Agencies by Government Department; and Single Issue and Government Initiative Websites. Local Government can be explored either regionally or through the type of council (e.g. county, borough, parish,etc.).
British Government and Politics on the Internet (http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/ukbase.htm) comes from the School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Keele University. Beyond the directories of departments, agencies and parties, the wider political world is covered under such headings as Legal System, Think Tanks and Political Weblogs (also known as blogs). These can be a source for Government documents as well as reports and commentary that complement them.
Websites for highest-level government
Three institutions are central to UK Government, and as channels into its information. 10 Downing Street (http://www.number-10.gov.uk) focuses on the Prime Minister, with access to the full-text of speeches and a Newsroom section. It is also indicative - as are many other departmental websites - of the adoption of Internet-specific applications, such as the text of webchats with ministers and a video archive of Prime Minister's Questions.
The Cabinet Office (http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk) serves as a gateway to ministerial and non-ministerial departments, the Civil Service, and a host of other organisations in such areas as IT in Government and the increasingly important Third Sector (i.e. voluntary, charitable, etc.)
The UK Parliament (http://www.parliament.uk) website is an information goldmine. Its main drawback is that it includes so much material that it can be overwhelming. That said, great efforts have been made to try and organise it clearly, through Quick Links and Website Highlights. Business gives details of forthcoming debates and the current work of Parliament. Members and Staff connects to email, websites and blogs for MPs and Lords.
Especially for info pros
Publications and Records is probably the most interesting section from the information professional's standpoint. Within this, Hansard is the daily record of proceedings in the Commons and the Lords. Select Committees consider topical issues in more depth than is possible in the course of parliamentary debates, drawing upon evidence from informed individuals and organisations as well as Government figures. This can help to give a more rounded picture of an issue. Although not so well-publicised, the reports of Lords committees can be quite as substantial as those from the Commons. Finally, the House of Commons Library provides useful research papers originally compiled for MPs.
Many organisations perform governmental work yet, as they are ‘arm's length', are not regarded as part of a department. These are collected in the Public Bodies Directory, the most recent being at http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/pdf/public_bodies/publicbodies2006.pdf.
These bodies can be a useful source of information in particular fields of interest (e.g. Competition Commission, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, Medical Research Council). The directory gives helpful notes on the function of each one as well as its website.
The website of the BERR (http://www.berr.gov.uk) can serve as an exemplar of the general approach to online presence of UK Government departments. The Press Room demonstrates the real effort made to keep the site up to date as does Reports & Publications, which highlights major reports for which the department is responsible. The other initial sections (e.g. Better Business Framework; Business Sectors) similarly lead to more in-depth information on each area of the department's activity. Care is also taken to provide links to related documents and other official websites (e.g. DIUS, UKtradeinfo) , which alter as you work your way through the site, an illustration of the ideal of "joined-up government".
The site also has a search engine but it is not very sophisticated, not even offering a date range option. There often seems to be a presupposition that a Government site user already knows what they are seeking. If you don't, it may well be more efficient to use a general search engine.
Issues in digital preservation
One drawback with online Government information has been the lack of attention to the issue of digital preservation. This has been improving, but it means that it is largely impossible to find free online documents from before the mid-1990s. The main exceptions are Parliamentary Acts and Statutory Instruments (the form in which regulations are usually presented); these are online from the late 1980s at
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/index.htm, with plans to go further back. Also valuable from this standpoint is the Official Documents Archive (http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/index.html) which covers major publications from 1994 through 2005. Official Documents www.official-documents.co.uk carries this on from May 2005, with an RSS feed for the past five days.
The attempt to connect more directly with citizens has led to greatly increased use of the Internet by the UK Government over the past decade. But the complex structure of government and the vast amount of material it collectively produces continues to hamper this aim. For the information professional, general knowledge of search techniques and regular visits to key sites are equally important in a field that is subject to continual change.
Selective Bibliography
This is a list of some key sites and documents, to further illustrate the range of Government information available.
Budget 2008 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9/9/bud08_completereport.pdf
Energy Markets Outlook http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/energymarketsoutlook/page41839.html
Enterprise: unlocking the UK's talent. Summary.
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file44993.pdf
EU Profiles (for Intrastat and other economic indicators) http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?=EUProfiles
Government News Network (for press releases across Government) http://www.gnn.gov.uk Green Claims - Practical Guidance http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/pdf/genericguide.pdf
HM Revenue and Customs http://www.hmrc.gov.uk
Health, Department of http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsandStatistics/index.htm
Innovation Nation http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/ScienceInnovation.pdf
Lisbon Treaty http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/TREATY FINAL TEXT.pdf
National Statistics Online. http://www.statistics.gov.uk and its Virtual Bookshelf http://www.statistics.gov.uk/OnlineProducts/default.asp
Prospects for the European Union in 2008 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm73/7318/7318.pdf
Having begun his career in academic libraries, Adrian
Janes is currently an Information Services Librarian with the London Borough of
Havering. In this role he has particular responsibility for information from
both the UK Government and the European Union. He wrote a detailed report on
sources for the latter which was published by Free Pint in 2007. He is also
involved in training and publicising online reference resources.
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