HL Deb 22 January 1997 vol 577 cc59-60WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in accordance with their policy on open government, they will ensure that all government departments follow the same approach in dealing with requests by the owners of web sites to be allowed to publish material produced by the Government; and what is their policy on this matter.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe)

The Government continue fully to endorse the principles of open government and the dissemination of government information. Where Crown copyright material is being reproduced, it is subject to a copyright licence being issued. This licensing of Crown copyright is administered by the Copyright Unit of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which considers each application on its merits, taking into account open government principles and any views expressed by the originating department. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced as part of a Written Answer in another place on 6th November 1996 that the Office of Public Service would be co-ordinating a review of the management of Crown copyright and that the results of this review would be published as a Green Paper.