Update: 15 October 2014
Subsequent to the post below the Charity Commission site has been relocated to GOV.UK. The policy on reuse of the register of charities seems to have been removed. (But you can view an archived copy.)
To date Cabinet Office has provided no response to my FOI request, or to my request for an internal review of the handling of that request. Cabinet Office has also ignored a prompt from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The latest position is that ICO has issued a decision notice to Cabinet Office, giving a deadline of 35 calendar days for a response. I hope to have satisfaction sometime between mid-November and the heat death of the universe.
Post: 31 May 2014
Below is a copy of a Freedom of Information request sent to the Cabinet Office on Wednesday.
Subsequently the Charity Commission has made some changes to its website. The Commission’s current policy on access and reuse of data contained in the register of charities is now at the following URL:
___________________________________________________
To: FOI.Team@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk
Dear FOI Team,
In June 2013 the Cabinet Office published a news story that included the following commitment on open data:
“Now, data held by the Charity Commission on the annual returns of charities in England and Wales is to be made available as free open data by March 2014. The data will give basic details, including headline income and expenditure, for all registered charities and will show how charities with an income of over £500,000 allocate their revenue across fundraising and governance, charitable activities and what they retain for future use.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-data-release-opens-the-lid-on-charity-finances
My understanding is that the Charity Commission has not delivered on this commitment. The Charity Commission’s current policy on access and reuse of data contained in the register of charities (the Register) is here:
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/about_us/about_charities/copyrightreg.aspx
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act for the following information if held by the Cabinet Office:
1. Copies of any correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Charity Commission (on or after 1 January 2013) that pertains to open data release of Register data.
2. The dates of any meetings between Cabinet Office officials and Charity Commission staff (on or after 1 January 2013) at which open data release of Register data was discussed, along with any minutes or notes made of those meetings.
Thank you for your attention to this information request.
Best regards,
Owen Boswarva