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United Kingdom

  • Member Since 2011
  • Action Plan 5

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Current Action Plan

2021-2023

Action Plan 5

  • Number of Commitments: 9
  • Policy Area Focus: Not specified

The UK’s fifth action plan includes a promising commitment on open contracting, while also covering new topics like open justice and algorithmic transparency and accountability. Despite iterative dialogue between stakeholders during the co-creation process, civil society was strongly dissatisfied with the government’s unilateral changes that weakened the ambition of commitments at the last stage of the process. The UK should use the opportunity for amending the action plan to restore a strong domestic OGP process.

The UK’s fifth action plan builds on previous efforts in open contracting, health sector transparency, and international illicit finance, while also pursuing new areas of open justice and algorithmic transparency and accountability. Commitment 1 on open contracting is a promising commitment which includes activities that could considerably improve the transparency of government procurement. The other commitments, though verifiable, lack specific and measurable milestones that would allow detailed analyses of their potential for results. Some commitments involve engaging stakeholders, but the structures of these engagements and intended results are not well-defined. More

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Canada · Finland · Netherlands · Scotland, U...

Algorithms and Human Rights: Understanding Their Impacts

Human rights algorithmic impact assessments have emerged as an accountability tool to identify potential harms, mitigate unintended impacts, and inform policy decisions on the use of algorithms across key policy areas including health, and education. 

Contact

Point of Contact

Sue Bateman Deputy Director Policy & Innovation, Government Digital Service, Cabinet Office sue.bateman@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

Commitments

Resources

  1. Algorithmic Accountability for the Public Sector

    2021, Research Product, Web page

  2. Early Results of Open Government Partnership Initiatives (2018)

    2018, Research Product, Web page

  3. Implementing SDG16+ Through the Open Government Partnership

    2019, Perspective, Web page

  4. Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement through Transparency, Participation, and Accountability

    2021, Resource, Web page

  5. Seeking Synergy: OGP & EITI

    2019, Research Product, Web page

  6. UK Government Public Comments Received on IRM Progress Report 2013-15

    2016, IRM Report, Web page

  7. UK Government response to Notification of Late Action Plan (March 2019)

    2019, Letter, Web page

  8. UK Progress Report 2013-15 Google Doc Public Comments Received

    2016, IRM Report, Web page

  9. UK Progress Report 2014-2015 – Public Comments Section

    2017, IRM Report, Web page

  10. United Kingdom – Additional progress report on the first six months 2016-18

    2016, Self Assessment, Web page

  11. United Kingdom – Contrary to Process Letter (August 2022)

    2022, Letter, Web page

  12. United Kingdom – First National Action Plan 2011-2013

    2011, Action Plan, Web page

  13. United Kingdom – Notification of Late Action Plan (Cohort Shift) – January 2019

    2019, Letter, Web page

  14. United Kingdom – Response to Contrary to Process Letter (September 2022)

    2022, Letter, Web page

  15. United Kingdom – Response to Under Review Letter (March 2021)

    2021, Letter, Web page

  16. United Kingdom – Second National Action Plan 2013-2015

    2013, Action Plan, Web page

  17. United Kingdom – Third National Action Plan 2016-18

    2016, Action Plan, Web page

  18. United Kingdom – Under Review Letter – February 2021

    2021, Letter, Web page

  19. United Kingdom Action Plan 2019-2021

    2019, Action Plan, Web page

  20. United Kingdom Action Plan 2021-2023

    2021, Action Plan, Web page

  21. United Kingdom Action Plan Review 2021-2023

    2022, IRM Report, Web page

  22. United Kingdom Action Plan Review 2021-2023 – For Public Comment

    2022, Report Comments, Web page

  23. United Kingdom Design Report 2019-2021

    2021, IRM Report, Web page

  24. United Kingdom Design Report 2019-2021 – For Public Comment

    2021, Report Comments, Web page

  25. United Kingdom End-of-Term Report 2013-2015

    2017, IRM Report, Web page

  26. United Kingdom End-of-Term Report 2016-2018

    2019, IRM Report, Web page

  27. United Kingdom End-of-Term Report 2016-2018 – For Public Comment

    2019, Report Comments, Web page

  28. United Kingdom End-of-Term Self-Assessment Report 2013-2015

    2016, Self Assessment, Web page

  29. United Kingdom Mid-Term Report 2016-2018

    2018, IRM Report, Web page

  30. United Kingdom Mid-Term Report 2016-2018 – For Public Comment

    2018, Report Comments, Web page

  31. United Kingdom Mid-Term Self-Assessment 2016-2018

    2018, Self Assessment, Web page

  32. United Kingdom Mid-term Self-Assessment Report 2013-2015

    2015, Self Assessment, Web page

  33. United Kingdom Progress Report 2011–2013

    2014, IRM Report, Web page

  34. United Kingdom Progress Report 2013-2015

    2016, IRM Report, Web page

  35. United Kingdom SC Application Letter

    2014, Letter, Web page

  36. United Kingdom Self-Assessment Report 2011-2013

    2013, Self Assessment, Web page

  37. United Kingdom Transitional Results Report 2019-2021

    2022, IRM Report, Web page

  38. United Kingdom Transitional Results Report 2019-2021 – For Public Comment

    2022, Report Comments, Web page

  39. What’s in a Name? A comparison of ‘open government’ definitions across seven OGP members

    2017, Research Product, Web page

Current Data

The data below is updated periodically, most often after large numbers of new action plans and IRM reports.

Commitment Performance

The following variables answer the question “Did this commitment open government?“, and focus on how government practices have changed as a result of the commitment’s implementation.

Key

No IRM data

Pending IRM Review

Download
Major
Outstanding
Starred Commitments
Action Plan 1
Action Plan 2
11
0
4
Action Plan 3
4
0
2
Action Plan 4
0

Global

Most per action plan
4
7

Regional

Most per action plan
4
7

How to Get More Starred Commitments

Starred commitments in OGP are one of the ways the IRM designates promising reforms. The graph below shows where the major areas for improvement in action plan design and implementation should take place based on past action plans.

Key

Stars (Global average 7%)

Focus on implementation

Focus on design

Pending IRM review

No IRM data

Focus on design

Focus on objectives and impact (ambition/potential impact)

Focus on relevance to open government

Focus on verifiability

Download
Action Plan 1

Public Participation

This table shows: 1) the level of public influence during the development and implementation of OGP action plans, 2) whether consultations were open to any member of the public or only to those invited; and 3) whether a forum existed that met regularly.

Key

Participation was closed

Participation was open to any interested party

No IRM data

Forum

Pending IRM review

Definitions

Collaborate: Iterative dialogue and public helped set agenda

 

Involve: Government gave feedback on public inputs

 

Consult: Public gave input

 

Inform: Government provided public with information on plan

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Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Inform
No Consultation

Development

Action Plan 1
Action Plan 2
Action Plan 3
Action Plan 4
Collaborate
Involve
Consult
Inform
No Consultation

Implementation

Action Plan 1
Action Plan 2
Action Plan 3
Action Plan 4

OGP Global Report Data

The data below is drawn from the 2019 OGP Global Report. You can view and learn more about the report here.

Selected Dimensions of Open Government

This section captures how each OGP member can play a leadership role, based on IRM-based findings and third-party scores. This list does not cover all of open government and OGP members are not required to take any action.

Action implications

These are recommendations on the role that each OGP member might play in each policy area. The recommendations are derived from a combination of the IRM-based findings and third-party scores.

IRM-based findings

Reflect the performance of commitments in a particular policy area, as assessed by the IRM.

 

(NC) No Commitments
(CA) Commitment(s) in the policy area.
(IR) IRM-Reviewed: At least one IRM-assessed commitment.
(C) Was Complete: At least one commitment was substantially or fully completed.
(A) Was Ambitious: At least one commitment with moderate or transformative potential impact.
(ER) Showed Early Results: At least one commitment opened government in a “Major” or “Outstanding” way.

Third-party scores

Reflect “real-world” performance, i.e., performance outside of the OGP framework. Scores are comprised of various indicators collected by respected organizations.

Download

Anti-Corruption

Beneficial Ownership
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.00 Sources
Open Contracting
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.46 Sources

Civic Space

Freedom of Assembly
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.71 Sources
Freedom of Association
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.72 Sources
Defending Journalists and Activists
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.14 Sources

Open Policy Making

Participation in Lawmaking
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
3.21 Sources
Regulatory Governance
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
4.00 Sources

Access to Information

Right to Information
Action Implications
New Initiative
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
2.66 Sources
Open Data (Water / Sanitation)
Action Implications
Consider Action
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
0 Sources
Open Data (Health)
Action Implications
Implement for Results
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
1.53 Sources
Open Data (Education)
Action Implications
Consider Action
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
2.50 Sources

Fiscal Openness

Transparency
Action Implications
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
2.96 Sources
Participation
Action Implications
Implement for Results
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
2.16 Sources
Oversight
Action Implications
Implement for Results
IRM-Based Findings
NC
CA
IR
C
A
ER
3rd-Party Score (0-4)
2.68 Sources

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