Where is Ordnance Survey’s public task set out, exactly? And why is it paying an external PR company? (updated)
As Mike Cross has posted, there is some interesting triangulation going on through Parliamentary questions on how the Ordnance Survey’s public task was determined. (There seems to be a groundswell of questions from Conservative MPs inquiring into it.) These are generally batted away with standard civil service responses – basically saying “well, we did it how we did it.”
So we wondered: where can the OS’s public task document be found?
Not on the OS website, where you simply find
For the purposes of the PSI regulations, Ordnance Survey’s Public Task is defined as embracing everything we do from time to time to fulfil our obligations under the Ordnance Survey Trading Fund Order 1999 (SI 99/965) and the Ordnance Survey Framework Document 2004.
This is akin to saying “whatever we do, it’s a public task, because we do it.”
Nor on the Shareholder Executive site (the SE is the government arm which determines what its trading fund should do), where the relevant page says:
Ordnance Survey’s objective is to deliver its Public Task. This can be summarised [emphasis added - CA] as to:
- collect and maintain uniform geographic datasets with national coverage, and provide nationally-consistent mapping
Yes, that’s an improvement, but we don’t want summarised – we want full. Where is it? Anyone?
(Bonus link: OS has paid an organisation called Mandate £42,076.20 + VAT (that’s £49.400) since August 2007 for “consultancy and advice on Corporate Communications and Public Affairs.” Interesting to see that Mandate says that its skills in public affairs includes “Winning over the decision makers who matter”.
Wonder why OS would think it needs those services?)
Update: Dan MacDonald has provided a pointer to the OS’s public task in the comments – but he points out that “it’s only available if you trawl thru’ the pdf version of the evidence given at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmcomloc.htm“. Thanks, Dan.
- The following posts may be related...(the database guesses):
- "OS replies" article - updated to two columns (24 April 2006; score: 30.79%)
- Ordnance Survey's lobbying, part 2 (28 August 2008; score: 25.23%)
- APPSI comes out in favour of Ordnance Survey on addressing - but it's two-edged (3 May 2007; score: 25.19%)
- Costing ernestmarples (and free data) vs paid-for (11 October 2009; score: 24.54%)
- Ordnance Survey's lobbying, part 1 (28 August 2008; score: 23.29%)
May 12th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I’m sure you are teasing us here! I know where OS’s own description of its revised public task is, and I’m guessing you do too. Perhaps we should offer a prize to the first reply to your blog that gives the details of where it can be found?
Of just as much concern is what it says when you do track it down. Besides saying OS’s task is exactly what they wish it to be, they also make some pretty significant claims on a topic which has appeared in your blog on many occasions – addresses.
OS says (amongst other assertions) that it is their job to “…Collect and maintain uniform datasets with national coverage forming the official record of the natural and built environment of Great Britain containing…
– high resolution address data
– transport networks (including road, rail, waterways, tracks and paths)…”
This might be news to those in local government and Royal Mail who thought that they had a part to play here!
DM
May 12th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
@Dan: if you know where the OS’s *full* public task is set out online, I’d be grateful if you’d post it. I couldn’t find it with some quick searching.. All I found was a brief mention (linked above) on the OS site, and the “summary” on the SE site.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Well it isn’t easy! As you’ll know OS’s public task figured strongly in the CLG Committee inquiry which the Select Committee carried out last year. The Committee asked several pertinent questions about OS’s public task pointing out that it was an issue of dispute.
In their first set of evidence OS and CLG said it was under discussion. Unusually OS posted another set of evidence (after the official deadline) which said they had now set a new public task.
This evidence contains the most detailed definition I’ve found on OS’s public task – as set by …OS! It’s only available if you trawl thru’ the pdf version of the evidence given at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmcomloc.htm
Hope this helps.
DM
May 14th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
And here’s what Mandate has to say:
Mandate’s award-winning public affairs consultants know how to make winning arguments at the heart of government. Working in Westminster, Whitehall, all of the UK’s devolved nations and regions, Brussels and Washington DC, we are professional lobbyists and proud of it.
More at http://www.yourmandate.com/
May 15th, 2008 at 12:16 am
[...] A Guardian Technology campaign for free public access to data about the UK and its citizens « Where is Ordnance Survey’s public task set out, exactly? And why is it paying an external PR c… [...]
June 28th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I’ve just made an FoI request (via http://www.whatdotheyknow.com) for copies of correspondence between OS and Mandate. Deadline for a response is Friday July 25.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:50 am
… and here’s the result: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/21/politicsandtechnology
There are several hundred pages, mainly to do with attempts to set up meetings with MPs, MSPs and AMs. Some of it is quite funny.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
[...] late to posting this (I blame holidays), but Mike Cross entered an FOI request after we noticed in May that it had paid a lobbying company called Mandate about £49,000 for “consultancy [...]