Ordnance Survey: Cost Effectiveness

Below is the response from Iain Wright MP, Minister responsible for OS to Mark Prisk MP's latest Parliamentary Question, on behalf of Locus. This question focuses on Ordnance Survey's public task following the publication of the both Cambridge Review of Trading Funds and the updated definition of Locus' core public task.

It is interesting to note in Mr Wright's response that the definition was approved before the Cambridge Review, and that neither OPSI or APPSI were consulted.

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what account was taken of the cost-benefit analysis commissioned from Cambridge University on trading funds when formulating Ordnance Survey's new public sector task; (2) what account was taken of (a) advice and (b) guidance from (i) the Office of Public Sector Information and (ii) the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information in formulating Ordnance Survey's new public sector task; (3) what Government agencies and offices were consulted on the formulation of Ordnance Survey's public sector task.

Mr. Iain Wright: In April 2007, Ministers asked Ordnance Survey and the Shareholder Executive to work together to prepare a more precise articulation of Ordnance Survey’s Public Task as set out in the Ordnance Survey Framework Document 2004. This work was undertaken between April and June 2007.

Ministers approved the revised Public Task document in July 2007 before the Cambridge University study was commissioned. The Shareholder Executive conducted discussions with senior officials in Ordnance Survey and the Department for Communities and Local Government before submitting the Public Task document to Ministers. Neither the Office of Public Sector Information nor the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information were consulted.

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