Audit Commission says data release can bring benefits, but warns of potential risks

Making greater amounts of public information available online could bring significant benefits but also major risks if that information is inaccurate, out-of-date or incomplete, the Audit Commission said this week.

In its discussion paper The truth is out there, the watchdog recognised there were significant potential benefits in putting information in public hands. It said people can exercise choice in a range of ways, whether it is planning routes, choosing schools or selecting hospital treatments.

Providing information can also enhance democracy by letting people know what choices their elected representatives are making, and what public money is being spent on and with what result. “They have the opportunity to hold elected politicians and public servants to account – and potentially identify waste and expose corruption,” the Audit Commission added.

But it warned that simply putting large amounts of data online would not by itself be enough to enable to people to exercise choice or influence public decision-making. The public would also need assurances to trust the information, it said.

The watchdog highlighted a number of risks, including:

• Whether data held by government departments, councils, schools and hospitals is good enough. “Inaccurate, out-of-date or incomplete information is a poor foundation for decision-making, and could both mislead the public and undermine trust”
• Whether putting more information into the public domain could stifle innovation and make decision makers risk averse.

The Audit Commission said it wanted to stimulate “a much-needed debate on what transparency in the public sector really means and what needs to be done to make the most of it”.

The discussion paper looks at innovative practice across the country, highlights the challenges and risks of making data accessible, and suggests ways of mitigating the risks.

Last November, the Audit Commission said the high-profile failure of public authorities to safeguard Baby Peter in Haringey, and to prevent the high number of deaths at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust “has directed attention to the accuracy and reliability of the data underpinning local service delivery”.

The watchdog warned that the public lacks trust in the institutions that govern and serve it, and that this mistrust extends to the information organisations provide.