We're collecting comments - with evidence please - on the transposition of the INSPIRE directive, See http://www.openrightsgroup.org/consult/consultation-on-the-transposition-of-ec-inspire-directive/
“INSPIRE [a European Directive] aims to make available consistent spatial data sets about the environment and create services for accessing these datasets so that they can to be more easily shared or combined to benefit the development and monitoring of environmental policy and practice. This consultation seeks views on the policy principles that will inform the drafting of Statutory Instruments to transpose the Directive and on the Directive’s impact.” Typically, the questions - copied below - are user-unfriendly :( (1) Annex 1 Paragraph 2. We propose on grounds of consistency to adopt the definitions of ‘public authority’ already used in the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations (EIR(Scotland)), rather than the definition in the INSPIRE Directive. We would welcome your views. (2a) Annex 1 Paragraph 9(c)(i) concerns the limit we propose to put on the application of INSPIRE to local authorities. The Directive generally applies to public authorities but by way of derogation10 covers the lowest level of government only if there are national laws or regulations requiring the collection of spatial data sets. We intend to limit the scope of this SIs so that they apply only to District Councils or above in England and their equivalents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; and then only in circumstances in which such local authorities are legally required to collect or disseminate spatial data sets. We would welcome your views. (2b) Annex 1 Paragraph 25 sets out the derogations on the provision of Network Services. For example, public access to spatial data sets and discovery services may be limited where this would adversely affect international relations, public security or national defence. The Directive proposes wider limitations for public access to spatial data sets and view, download, transformation services and services allowing spatial data services to be invoked which are also set out in paragraph 25. We propose to adopt these when drafting the SIs and would welcome your views. (2c) Annex 1 Paragraph 29 sets out the derogations on data access and sharing between public authorities when this would compromise the course of justice, public security, national defence or international relations. We propose to adopt these when drafting the SIs and would welcome your views. (3) We would like to hear from you if you have any other issues about the way we propose to transpose this Directive or the content of the SIs Impact Assessment (4) We would welcome from you detailed information about the costs and benefits of INSPIRE and in particular how information about costs and benefits might be collected following transposition. (5) Are there any other matters in this Consultation Document on which you would like to comment? -- Michael Holloway Operations Manager, Open Rights Group Phone: +44 (0) 20 7096 1079 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/openrightsgroup Web: http://www.openrightsgroup.org Fax: +44 (0) 20 7070 7011 Office: 7th floor, 100 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8AL, UK _______________________________________________ okfn-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.okfn.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/okfn-discuss
