IPSA feels undermined!
The public sector information stakeholders present at the ePSIplus Thematic Network meeting that was held in Berlin on the 11 November heard from a range of Associations and private sector companies about the competition issues that are prevalent all across Europe! The Berlin meeting was devoted to considering the competition issues experienced when re-using public sector information and the role of the Competition bodies in addressing these issues and ensuring the public sector re-use market functions correctly.
One of the presentations used a case study to illustrate how even the good work of the regulators if not joined up can undermine the work of an Association that is addressing the issues that are arising at the supply – demand interface with respect to public sector information re-use.
The case study was presented by the Chair of the Association of Independent Personal Search Agents (IPSA) Christian Lister and the subject of the case study was Local Government charges for re-using public sector information (Charges for Property searches).
The actors in the case study included the UK Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) a Ministry, the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the UK Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) and the UK Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI). IPSA had worked with the DCLG and had participated in a number of working groups considering charges for Property Searchs. IPSA had also met with a number of the DCLG Ministers and as such they were included in the actors involved in the story related. During the storty a positive reference was made to the earlier presentation made by the European Commission titled European Framework for developing the PSI Re-use market, with respect to charging. From the story that unfolded it was clear that the IPSA was in fact following the Commissions recommendations for stakeholders.
The presentation ends with the statement:
"It is no use saying, “We are doing our best’
You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."
The OFT Property Searches Report
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