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The Locus Association held the third in a series of seminars on 22nd November at the offices of Dorsey & Whitney in London. The subject of the seminar was the PSI complaints process and the Locus Association was delighted to have three expert speakers: Marcia Jackson, Head of Standards at the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), Tony Black a Director at Intelligent Addressing Ltd, and Professor Richard Susskind OBE, Chair of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI).
Marcia Jackson said:
- " OPSI welcomes all enquiries and complaints from the private sector. Lessons can be learned by all sides through the complaints process and OPSI is keen to advise, support and liaise with all sides throughout the complaints procedure. ”
Anthony Black said:
- "Data is a national asset and in a fast moving marketplace, access to it must be provided in a timely fashion. For small companies, complaints about the terms of a PSIH’s licences must be the last resort. Our experience has been that the current complaints process is neither cheap, nor quick and has not led to consequential results.”
Professor Richard Susskind said:
- “The Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) is in an unusual position, in that it both advises on the process and is part of the process. We do, however, do everything in our power to make sure there is equality of arms for both sides, and that all parties get a fair hearing.”
The Locus Association is very grateful to all the speakers and attendees who participated in this very successful event. The chair of Locus, Michael Nicholson, stated that “PSI re-use must be maximised, and because the appetite within the private sector for a fight with the public sector is limited, it is important for the private sector to fully understand the work of both OPSI and APPSI.”
- ENDS -
Notes for Editors:
· Locus was established in Autumn 2005 and formally launched on 26th January 2006. The Association’s President is a former Director General of the Office of Fair Trading and Oftel, Sir Bryan Carsberg.
§ The Association exists to raise awareness of, and promote the development of, a healthy and competitive private sector in relation to Public Sector Information (PSI). Locus acts as a forum for exchange of information, keeps its members up to date with latest policy developments, and provides advice and guidance. Our members recognise the potential of PSI, but also the benefit of uniting to address some of the challenges and pooling resources to meet them.
§ Tony Black is the Operations Director of Intelligent Addressing Ltd, an information management specialist and data provider company that focuses on land and property data, specifically addressing and spatial referencing. IA manages the national datasets for local government; National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) and National Street Gazetteer (NSG) and help local government meet its objectives with these datasets.
§ Marcia Jackson is the Head of Standards at the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), which is the regulator of public sector information holders for their information trading activities. OPSI sets standards, delivers access and encourages the re-use of public sector information. OPSI provides a wide range of services to the public, information industry, government and the wider public sector relating to finding, using, sharing and trading information.
§ Professor Richard Susskind OBE is the Chair of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI). Additionally, he is an independent adviser to major professional firms and to national governments. He lectures internationally and has written and edited numerous books. He has advised on numerous government inquiries and, since 1998, has been IT Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England. In 2003, he was appointed by the Cabinet Office as APPSI. He holds law professorships at Gresham College in London and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
· Enquiries: Harriet Crosthwaite: 020 7930 9788 or harriet@quintuspa.com
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