Improving the accessibility of government's data and information about the public finances
This report shares lessons learned from Scotland's work to improve public finance transparency, including trialling a fiscal portal, enhancing budget accessibility, and identifying what's needed to make fiscal data more open and reusable for all.
Where next
Portals, dashboards and other dynamic visualisations have a role to play in helping to enhance the transparency of the public finances. The underlying data that provides the ‘front-end’ visualisations is vital to ensure these tools can work effectively. Indeed, for those with detailed knowledge of the public finances the data is often more important to them than the dynamic visualisations of portals, given the importance of the data in being able to carry out their analysis and scrutiny. A wide group of organisations across government, the wider public sector and third sector have a common interest in improved accessibility of fiscal data that can be reused in engaging ways to improve the understanding of the public finances for a larger audience. The Scottish Government’s development of corporate IT systems provides an opportunity to strengthen the quality and accessibility of core financial data, but realising these benefits will require sustained investment. Others are also innovating with the recent publication of the Fraser of Allander Institute and Joseph Rowntree Foundation Scottish Public Spending Dashboard. This remains an important area for collaboration.
The Open Government process, and wider partnership of governments and international civil society continues to be a facilitator of, a source of support and ideas for, this work. We will sustain the links we have developed and contribute enthusiastically to the development of Scotland’s next action plan.
Jennie Barugh and Lucy McTernan
Co-Chairs of the Fiscal Transparency Commitment Oversight Group