IT industry association techUK has called for a clear plan for the opening up of public sector datasets.
This is one of seven recommendations for government to address barriers to data sharing in the public and private sectors within a new white paper, Data Sharing: Getting the UK back on the right track.
The association said these are aimed at enabling a more focused and coherent approach with greater public benefits.
This comes as the UK government develops a new regulatory regime for data sharing post-Brexit.
The call to open up public sector data comes with an aim of achieving near real time reporting, to support the development of new products and services in areas such as digital identity.
Lost momentum
The paper says the UK has lost its momentum as a leader in open data, and that government must consult with industry and organisations to better understand which datasets could unlock most value and outline a clear plan for opening them up.
Of the other recommendations, the first is to step up work to facilitate voluntary, trusted and responsible avenues for private and third sector data sharing, related to mission one of the National Data Strategy and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s smart data workstream.
Second is to ensure that ethical considerations underpin the sharing of data, particularly personal data; and third is for a more joined up delivery of the National Data Strategy, including greater visibility on the execution of mission three and opportunities for industry engagement.
Next is for government to collaborate with industry to understand challenges around data quality and deliver a set of standards, then to invest in sufficient resources to map regional data ecosystems and set realistic benchmarks for gathering local government data.
Finally, it needs to invest in training for the UK workforce to raise the level of its data skills.
Clear benefits
Neil Ross, associate director of policy at techUK, said: “The benefits and potential of responsible data sharing are clear. Already data sharing projects have helped support the UK’s response to the pandemic, drive greater financial inclusion and help us move toward achieving our net zero ambitions.
“However, there are more benefits to be gained if we can go further. To do this techUK has provided a number of suggestions for government to encourage responsible data sharing. This can be done by delivering on commitments to legislate for smart data schemes, as well as facilitate the right data governance framework, market environment and culture of trust to support both private and public sector data sharing.”
