PSI Charges
The UK Department for Communities and Local Government and the UK Ministry of Justice have jointly announced a consultation on Charges for Property Search Services. The consultation, which poses 10 questions opened on the 18 January 2008 and will close on 18 April 2008. The 244 page consultation document The Department in making the announcement states that the:
“… consultation document seeks views on proposals for the future direction of Local Authority charging for property search services and related draft guidance. It progresses one of the key recommendations by the OFT in its market study of property search services.”
The consultation document does reference the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations on page 51 and makes reference to the UK Office of Fair Trading CUPI report on page 52.
1 Introduction
- Executive summary
- Purpose of Consultation
2 Background: How property searches are currently conducted
3 A summary of the Government’s proposals set out in this consultation paper
- Consultation questions
4 Local Authority charging for unrefined and refined data
- Local enquiries’ searches
5 KPMG’s proposed guidance for Local Authorities to calculate costs of unrefined data (Annex 6 of this consultation document)
6 Local land charges services: review of the personal search fee and associated matters
- How and by whom the Fee for a Personal Search of the Local Land Charges Register should be set
7 Next steps
Annex 1: The consultation criteria Annex 2: Summary of legal provisions for Local Authority charges for property search services Annex 3: Recommendations made by the Office of Fair Trading (September 2005) Annex 4: Partial Impact Assessments - Local Authority Charges for Access to Property Search Data Annex 5: KPMG’s report cost and charge ‘guidance’ Annex 6: KPMG’s draft costing and charging methodologyAnnex 7: Personal search of the local land charges register:
- Local Authority costing proforma
The Department has also published a guidance document (14 pages) for local government and personal searchers titled: “Personal searches of the local land charges register and other records held by local authorities - Good practice guidance for local authorities and personal searchers.”
In announcing the publication of the guide the Department states:
“This good practice guide provides advice to local authorities and personal searchers on providing access to property information held by local authorities used in property searches.
It follows on from the consultation paper Delivering Property Searches published in May 2007.”
The guidance document makes no reference to Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations – the UK transposition of Directive 2003/98/EC nor the data access regime the Freedom of Information Act.
The Ministry of Justice via The National Archives and the UK Office Public Sector information have responsibility for the UK Re-use PSI Regulations.
The OFT Property Searches Report
European Associations Meeting: Maximising the Re-use of PSI within Europe
CLG and MoJ (UK Government Departments) ignore PSI
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