The end of the financial year marked the closing date for submissions to the Better Use of Data in Government consultation and the Cabinet Office is now analysing the feedback it received.

How is Government File Transfer Being Analysed?

On April 22nd 2016 submissions for the Better Use of Data in Government consultation came to a close after two years. The proposals, in the yet to be published report of this study, will address current government data issues and suggest reforms. It is hoped this will save a significant sum of taxpayers’ money and improve both usability and security for both individuals and businesses.

As the data legislation proposal, Better Use of Data: Consultation Paper states:

‘As the volume of data and our capacity to deliver digital services grow, the opportunities to improve services increase — but so too must our governance and safeguards to best protect our data against increasing cybersecurity threats.’

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matt Hancock, has said:

“Data is the fuel for the digital revolution. The very best policies and services are developed around information that’s current, relevant and make sure you can access government services just as easily as iTunes.

“There is huge potential for improving citizens’ lives through data sharing in the UK. The consultation […] will help make sure we get data right and bolster security whilst making people’s lives better.”

Why Has the Better Use of Data Consultation Come About?

The consultation has been conducted for a number of reasons. It is believed that the forthcoming proposals will:

Strengthen the Economy – With improved data access and security the government believes that businesses will grow, public services will be improved and the economy will strengthen.

Better Public Service Offerings – Further data insights will inform public service providers of what citizens want and need, and how the government can work to provide this.

It will also propose changes which should enable the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to access further government information for more accurate and timely statistics.

Encourage Research – Changes to access of de-identified data in secure facilities could help expand research for public benefit.

Create Opportunities – Optimised, better use of data could reveal new business opportunities.

Improve Efficiency – With more data, it is believed that public authorities would be able to operate more effectively, thus improving efficiency and lowering the cost to taxpayers in order to conform to new budget restraints.

Prevent Further Issues – Better usage of data could help the government see a bigger picture, helping to identify and prevent further, more complex, issues from happening in the future.

Improve Inter-Government Communications – Currently, some public services do not have access to data held by other government departments. It is expected that these proposals will offer a way around this issue.

Inform Legal Developments – The findings will influence the legal regime to help provide better public service access to information and build citizens’ confidence that their data is secure and being utilised correctly.

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 has already touched upon this topic and is now helping the government to understand the link between education, training and work.

Maytech’s Pan Government Accredited Services

Here at Maytech, we offer secure and reliable cloud platforms for government file transfer of public sector information. We are ISO 27001 certified and Pan Government accredited for official sensitive data, so can ensure external data sharing is done in a safe and secure way with correct classification controls in place.

Learn more about our secure file transfers for governments and public services, read about the benefits and download our PDF guide, on our dedicated page here.

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