My honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is today publishing the Government's response to The Power of Informationreview.

In February 2007 my honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster commissioned Tom Steinberg, director of mySociety, and Ed Mayo, chief executive of the National Consumer Council, to:

"explore new developments in the use and communication of citizen and State generated public information in the UK, and to present an analysis and recommendations to the Cabinet Office Minister as part of the Policy Review"1.

Their report, The Power of Informationreview, was published on 7 June. Copies are available on the Cabinet Office website and have been placed in the Library for the reference of noble Lords.

The Government take three overarching lessons from the review. The Government should:

engage in partnership with user-led online communities;ensure that they fully understand and respond appropriately to changes in the information market; andadvise civil servants on how best to participate in new media.

Citizens themselves are already helping each other in online communities and working towards the same goals as the Government on a range of policies, from parenting to health and financial management. The Government in particular agree with the reviewers' comparison between online mutual support and the 19th century co-operative and self-help movements. They are concerned that this comparison should not be misused as a simplistic justification for a return to a laissez-faire approach.

The government response welcomes the findings of the review in general and sets out how its recommendations will be taken forward. Accordingly, the Government will make a progress report in December 2007. This response is not the Government's final word but the beginning of a phase of policy activity to work through the review's recommendations and their consequences.

Copies of the Government's response to ThePower of Information review have been placed in the Library for the reference of noble Lords and are also available in the Printed Paper Office.

1 Terms of reference from The Power of Information by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2007-06-25a.52.5