Publication Scheme
APPSI’s role
The Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) is a Non-Departmental Public Body that operates from within the Ministry of Justice. Its role is:
- To advise Ministers on how to encourage and create opportunities in the information industry for the greater re-use of public sector information;
- To advise the Director of the Office of Public Sector Information and Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office about changes and opportunities in the information industry, so that the licensing of Crown copyright and public sector information is aligned with current and emerging developments;
- To review and consider complaints under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 and advise on the impact of the complaints procedures under those Regulations.
Organisational structure
The Secretariat of APPSI works within the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), which is part of The National Archives. The role of the Secretariat is to provide administrative support to the Panel, undertake research, and maintain the APPSI website. All contact with APPSI should be channelled via the Secretariat. The APPSI Secretariat can be contacted at the following address:
Grazia Zaffuto
APPSI Secretariat
Information Policy and Services Directorate
The National Archives
Kew
Richmond
Surrey TW9 4DU
Tel: 020 8392 5330 Ext: 2252
Email: secretariat@appsi.gsi.gov.uk
APPSI members’ biographies
Members of the Panel are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds including providers, re-users and consumers of public-sector information, experts from academia and industry, and representatives of producer and consumer groups and the devolved administrations. There are currently 16 APPSI members, including the Chair and Deputy Chair. The biographies of individual APPSI members can be accessed on the APPSI website.
APPSI members’ register of interests
A register of interests is provided on the APPSI website.
Here you will find details of any private interests which might influence APPSI members’ judgement in performing their role on the Panel or which could be perceived (by a reasonable member of the public) to do so. This register of interests follows the Code of Practice for Members in the Committee of Standards in Public Life, June 2001.
What are our priorities and how are we doing?
Annual reports
APPSI’s annual reports review the progress the Panel has made in a year and set outs the Panel’s objectives for the year ahead. APPSI’s annual reports prior to 2006 can be accessed from the Archive section of the APPSI website.
Advice to Ministers
A significant part of APPSI’s role is to advise Ministers on how to encourage and create opportunities in the information industry for greater re-use of public sector information. Papers that APPSI has submitted to Ministers from 2007-2008, that are not confidential, can be accessed from the Papers for Ministers section of the APPSI website. Papers submitted to Ministers prior to 2007 can be accessed from the Archive section of the APPSI website.
Responses to consultations
Responses to government consultation are an essential part of APPSI’s work.
Government consultations enable APPSI to draw on its collective expertise and provides Government with feedback on proposals for legislative change or other new initiatives, thus informing the Government's decision making process. APPSI’s responses to consultations from 2007-2008 can be accessed from the Responses to Consultations section of the APPSI website. APPSI’s responses to consultations prior to 2007 can be accessed from the Archive section of the APPSI website.
Review of Complaints
On completion of a complaints review, the APPSI review board produces a report which is submitted to the parties in question and published on the APPSI website. APPSI has conducted one complaints review so far, which can be accessed from the Complaints review board section of the APPSI website.
What do we spend and how do we spend it?
Financial statements and budgets
Financial information relating to APPSI is presented each year in APPSI’s annual reports. The financial statements will allow you to see a breakdown of the costs for running the Panel each year. Expenditure is usually on:
- Secretariat and OPSI staff costs
- Members’ fees and honorariums
- Members’ travel costs
- APPSI website costs
- APPSI annual report publishing
- Complaints review board
The above list is not exhaustive, and it is recommended that you refer to individual annual reports for precise financial information (see above).
How do we make decisions?
Minutes of senior level meetings
The Panel usually meets four times a year for ordinary meetings, and it also organises one annual seminar. The panel may also arrange to meet on an ad hoc basis to discuss particular government consultations to which it intends to respond, or in preparation for advice to Ministers. The minutes of all these meetings can be accessed from the APPSI website. APPSI meetings from 2007-2008 can be accessed from the Meetings section of the APPSI website. APPSI meetings prior to 2007 can be accessed from the Archive section of the APPSI website.
Reports and papers provided for consideration at senior level meetings
From December 2008, APPSI will publish the agenda and papers presented for consideration and decision at APPSI meetings. The Panel will exclude papers or parts of papers that are considered to be confidential or where the invited guest speakers/authors have requested confidentiality. The most common reasons for confidentiality are likely to be the presence of personal or commercially sensitive information (the exemptions at section 40 and section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000).
What are our policies and procedures?
Procedures for reviewing complaints
To find out about the Panel’s remit for dealing with complaints, how the complaints review board works, and the procedures the review board and the complainant[s] are required to follow, see Procedures for reviewing complaints arising under the Re-use of PSI Regulations 2005.
Policies and procedures for the recruitment and employment of staff
The recruitment of APPSI members is conducted according to the guidelines set out by the Office of the Commission for Public Appointments (OCPA) for making and managing public appointments. (PDF - 135 KB)
According to OCPA guidelines, vacancies for members of the Panel are advertised on the Public Appointments Vacancies Website.
The APPSI Secretariat is a full-time civil service post, which means that the recruitment of this member of staff is conducted according to the policies and procedures set out by The National Archives, and usually advertised on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway website
Note that these websites are external websites and APPSI is not responsible for the information that is provided on them.
What service do we offer?
The service that APPSI provides is set out in Section 1 of this document: ’Who we are and what we do?’
The APPSI website is also an information source for individuals seeking to find up to date developments in the Government’s agenda to progress the re-use of public sector information.
What are our charges for publications?
- Website: All APPSI publications can be accessed or downloaded free of charge on the APPSI website, www.appsi.gov.uk.
- email: Information provided by email is free of charge.
- Post: A single printout of information on the APPSI website will be printed and posted free of charge on request. Charges will apply for multiple copies at 20 pence for each additional page requested.
Published copies of APPSI’s Annual Reports will be provided free of charge while stock last. However, you will be required to pay for Royal Mail postage fees for 5+ copies of APPSI’s Annual Reports. We will let you know the total cost when we receive your request.
Documents downloaded or provided in some other way may be re-used free of charge provided that they are acknowledged as Crown copyright, no substantive changes which change the meaning are made to the content used and the source given whenever possible.