To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance she has issued to Government departments on the implementation of the fee recommendations of the final report of the Power of Information Taskforce published on 2 March 2009. (292791)

Following recommendation 10 of the Power of Information Taskforce report, the National Archives drafted new, tighter criteria for the application of fees for the provision of public sector information. This draft was published on 28 July 2009 on their blog “PSI Perspectives”

http://perspectives.opsi.gov.uk/

for public comment. The National Archives has also written to Departments drawing their attention to these draft criteria.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanism is in place to track progress made by Government departments in implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Power of Information Taskforce, published on 2 March 2009. (292792)

The Power of Information Taskforce sets out the strategic actions needed to harness the power of Web 2.0 technologies to improve the way Government communicates with citizens, with the aim of making policy making more collaborative and open.

The Director for Digital Engagement within the Cabinet Office works across Government Departments to encourage, support and challenge Departments in moving from communicating to citizens on the web, to conversing and collaborating with them through digital technology to improve the delivery of public services. As part of this role he is responsible for tracking the implementation of the Power of Information Taskforce report.