Public sector information and re-use – where is the UK now?

Information produced by government does of course serve a number of purposes. First it should inform government so as to generate sound policy decisions and effective strategies. Second, through a variety of media, it should provide the general public with information to enable individuals to engage with government services and to deliver personal data that they are obliged to provide. Access to a wide variety of public sector information (PSI) is also important to enable individuals to manage their lives, operate their businesses or help make political decisions about which party to support at an election. But in the midst of such uses is the asset itself i.e. PSI and the policy for its creation, storage, management, exploitation and distribution. As a national resource one issue is whether it is a commodity to be shared freely or, in those circumstances where income can be derived from it, a product to be licensed and sold to offset public sector costs? In the UK this has been under debate for many years through analysis of Crown copyright regulation. Current policy, as interpreted by HM Treasury, continues to argue that those wishing to exploit or add value to PSI for commercial purposes should at least contribute something to the cost of its supply. Joint ventures with the private sector have also been entered into for the preparation and distribution of some PSI where the private sector service provider is permitted to recoup subscriptions in return for the investment. Until recently this has been a relatively sterile debate lacking data to fuel the arguments. That has changed as a result of recent investigations which this paper now explores. At issue is whether present policy is vindicated or alternatively whether pressure is growing for further modernisation of conventional approaches? This paper traces the process of development of the policy through to the present

Decrease in water clarity of the southern and central North Sea during the 20th century

Light in the marine environment is a key environmental variable coupling physics to marine biogeochemistry and ecology. Weak light penetration reduces light available for photosynthesis, changing energy fluxes through the marine food web. Based on published and unpublished data, this study shows that the central and southern North Sea has become significantly less clear over the second half of the 20th century. In particular, in the different regions and seasons investigated, the average Secchi depth pre-1950 decreased between 25% and 75% compared to the average Secchi depth post-1950. Consequently, in summer pre-1950, most (74%) of the sea floor in the permanently mixed area off East Anglia was within the photic zone. For the last 25+ years, changes in water clarity were more likely driven by an increase in the concentration of suspended sediments, rather than phytoplankton. We suggest that a combination of causes have contributed to this increase in suspended sediments such as changes in sea-bed communities and in weather patterns, decreased sink of sediments in estuaries, and increased coastal erosion. A predicted future increase in storminess (Beniston et al., 2007; Kovats et al., 2014) could enhance the concentration of suspended sediments in the water column and consequently lead to a further decrease in clarity, with potential impacts on phytoplankton production, CO2 fluxes, and fishery production

Working in partnership through early support: distance learning text: changing perceptions (book chapter)

This is a chapter from the distance learning text for the 'Working in Partnership through Early Support' accredited training programme. This chapter is about the principle of working in partnership with disabled children and their families

Health visiting - the end of a UK wide service?

In 1997 Health Visiting was deemed by New Labour to be an important player in reducing health inequalities. It was acknowledged that if Health Visiting was to fulfill this vision it would have to work out with its traditional child health role and also engage with groups, communities and populations to tackle the determinants of ill health. Twelve years on, external factors such as, NHS cut backs, recent changes to how Health Visitors are regulated throughout the UK and devolved Health Visiting policy making structures have led to the rapid demise in status and legitimacy of Health Visiting and its wider public health role. This article argues that the unintended consequences of devolved Health Visiting policy has resulted in 3 recent community nursing and health-visiting reviews in Scotland and England which have made divergent policy recommendations about the role of the Health Visitor in tackling health inequalities. The recommendations outlined in the Scottish review in particular threatened to jeopardise the very future provision of a UK wide Health Visiting service. If Health Visiting is to survive as a UK wide entity, a radical independent rethink as to its future direction and its public health role is urgently required

Zooming to the study area in GIScience research: a three stage approach

6-8 Apri

Internal Migration and Regional Population Dynamics in Europe: United Kingdom Case Study

This case study examines recent population change patterns and internal migration activity in the United Kingdom. A wealth of knowledge about population dynamics in Britain is revealed. The spatial patterns of population change and net migration are intricate mosaics of gains and losses. Gains and losses in population were principally determined by net internal migration. The decade long population change patterns and one year long migration patterns were in close agreement. This was surprising in view of temporal instability in population change and migration patterns. The dominant spatial pattern was one of deconcentration from the cores of city regions to hinterlands for both the largest metropolises and also their subsidiary partner cities. There were also signs of loss in population and migrants in declining resource regions(former mining areas, fishing ports) and gains in new resource frontiers - particularly in northeast Scotland reflecting the vigorous development of onshore facilities for the offshore oil and gas fields of the North Sea. The pattern of overall population and migrant redistribution was predominantly that of the middle labour force/family ages reinforced at much lower mobility levels but with sharper patterns of redistribution by the pre-retirement and retirement ages. People in the young adult ages in contrast redistributed to different destinations, showing a unique shift to the dense neighbourhoods of big cities. With respect to the urban system, there was significant redistribution both downward and outward. Downward redistribution meant shifts from large metropolitan cities to medium and small sized freestanding cities. Outward redistribution meant shifts to the outer commuting rings around cities, often deep into the countryside, This was not a return to the rural idyll, merely the expansion of the daily urban systems to cover most of lowland Britain. Strong preferences for low density living were revealed by shifts towards districts in Rural Areas and by net flows to low density wards and sectors. Similar strong shifts out of areas of above average into below average unemployment were detected, though both relationships with density and unemployment were either not present or weak for young adults. Some ambiguity was revealed in the fortunes of Inner London areas. Migration data from the 1991 Census showed intense outward movement. Downward population shifts were on a lesser scale because of the compensating effects of higher than average natural increase and high immigration. However, a re-analysis of 1991 population by ONS led to a substantial upward revision of London borough populations, and so places doubt on the size of outward shift of population through internal migration

Look-up Tables to Link 1991 Population Statistics to the 1998 Local Government Areas

Between 1995 and 1998 the local authority structure and geography of the United Kingdom was substantially revised. The two-tier system of local government was abolished in Wales, Scotland, and in parts of non-metropolitan England, and replaced with a single-tier system. This involved the creation of a new set of local authority area boundaries which in many places cut across those of the old districts. In addition, many of the local authorities unaffected by the reorganisation nonetheless had experienced small - though demographically significant - boundary changes since the last census. By the time the final phase of the reorganisation came into effect on 1st April 1998 the local government map of the United Kingdom was very different from that of April 1991. There is a need therefore to provide demographic and other geographically based data for the new geography for years prior to 1998. This paper aims to fill a part of this requirement by focusing on two important issues. First, it describes a look-up table detailing exactly how the 1998 local government geography relates to 1991 Census areas, and second, it sets out methods for producing 1991 Census data and mid-1991 population estimates (including single year age detail) for the new geography. A selection of the results produced by the described methods is included in tables and population pyramids