§ Mr. HopeTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to set out the Government's proposals on the future management of Crown Copyright. [79330]
§ Dr. Jack CunninghamA Government White Paper, "The Future Management of Crown Copyright", has been published today (Cm 4300). This document provides a blueprint which sets out the underlying principles which will be at the heart of future licensing of official material. This marks the culmination of a wide ranging consultation exercise initiated by the Government's Green Paper, "Crown Copyright in the Information Age" (Cm 3819), which was published in January 1998.
The challenge for the Government has been to establish a licensing regime for official material which is responsive to the needs of the citizen and the information industry. It is also important that we embrace the opportunities offered by new technology to encourage access to Government information as we approach the 21st Century. Our aim, therefore, has been to deliver a licensing policy which preserves the integrity and authority of official information, yet at the same time is also flexible, streamlined and transparent for users.