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United Kingdom

National Indicators for Wales (UK0088)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: United Kingdom – Third National Action Plan 2016-18

Action Plan Cycle: 2016

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: Welsh Government

Support Institution(s): NA

Policy Areas

Fiscal Openness, Legislation & Regulation, Local Commitments, Oversight of Budget/Fiscal Policies, Public Participation, Publication of Budget/Fiscal Information, Social Accountability

IRM Review

IRM Report: United Kingdom End-of-Term Report 2016-2018, United Kingdom Mid-Term Report 2016-2018

Starred: Yes Starred

Early Results: Major Major

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information , Civic Participation

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

Commitment Text: To measure progress towards the achievement of the seven well-being
goals for Wales set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and report on
them annually.
Objective: In order to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of
Wales the Welsh Government has developed a set of National Indicators to measure progress
against the 7 well-being goals outlined in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. In
doing so an open and transparent approach is being taken in the development and communication
of the National Indicators and the data that underpins them.
Status quo: Measuring national progress against the seven well-being goals for Wales set out in
the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Ambition: If we are to collectively achieve the seven well-being goals set out in the Well-being of
Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we need a way of measuring, at a national level, what
progress is being made. The 46 National Indicators for Wales are intended to measure progress
against the seven well-being goals and have been prepared following public consultation. They will be
reported on annually through a ‘Well-being Report for Wales’.
Milestones:
1. Lay the ‘National Indicators for Wales’ before the National Assembly for Wales
2. Produce the first Annual Well-being Report for Wales

IRM End of Term Status Summary

✪8. Well-being of Future Generations Act – National Indicators for Wales (Wales)

Commitment Text:To measure progress towards the achievement of the seven well-being goals for Wales set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and report on them annually.

Objective:In order to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales the Welsh Government has developed a set of National Indicators to measure progress against the 7 well-being goals outlined in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. In doing so an open and transparent approach is being taken in the development and communication of the National Indicators and the data that underpins them.

Status quo:Measuring national progress against the seven well-being goals for Wales set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Ambition:If we are to collectively achieve the seven well-being goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we need a way of measuring, at a national level, what progress is being made. The 46 National Indicators for Wales are intended to measure progress against the seven well-being goals and have been prepared following public consultation. They will be reported on annually through a ‘Well-being Report for Wales'.

Milestones:

1. Lay the ‘National Indicators for Wales' before the National Assembly for Wales

2. Produce the first Annual Well-being Report for Wales

Responsible institution: Welsh government

Supporting institutions: Specified public bodies under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Auditor General for Wales

Start date: March 2016

End date: Early 2017

Editorial note: This commitment is clearly relevant to OGP values as written, has transformative potential impact, and is substantially or completely implemented and therefore qualifies as a starred commitment.

Commitment Aim:

In 2015, the National Assembly of Wales passed the Well-being of Future Generations Act.[Note 230: Welsh Government, Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, http://gov.wales/topics/people-and-communities/people/future-generations-act/?lang=en, and National Assembly for Wales Research Service, The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015: What is it and what does it mean for Wales?, https://assemblyinbrief.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/the-well-being-of-future-generations-wales-act-2015-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-wales/ ] The Act ‘aims to improve the social, economic and cultural well-being of Wales by placing a duty on public bodies to think in a more sustainable and long-term way through seven goals'.[Note 231: The seven goals are a prosperous Wales, a resilient Wales, a healthier Wales, a more equal Wales, a Wales of cohesive communities, a Wales of vibrant culture and Welsh language and a globally responsible Wales.] The public bodies include the devolved and local government, the Welsh National Health Service and various other institutions, such as Sport Wales and the National Library of Wales.

In terms of transparency and openness, the Act ‘puts in place seven well-being goals that public bodies must work to achieve and take into consideration across all their decision-making' based on 46 indicators.[Note 232: The goals are listed here and fit with five long-term needs: Long-term thinking, Prevention, Integration, Collaboration, Involvement, National Assembly for Wales Research Service, The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015: What is it and what does it mean for Wales?, https://assemblyinbrief.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/the-well-being-of-future-generations-wales-act-2015-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-wales/]

Status

Midterm: Substantial

At the end of the first year of implementation, the government had made substantial progress on the commitment. The indicators and goals were developed after an extensive national conversation with civil society and other bodies.[Note 233: WCVA, ‘The Future Generations Act-All You Need to Know', https://www.wcva.org.uk/what-we-do/the-future-generations-(wales)-act-all-you-need-to-know, and WCVA, ‘Talking Future Generations: The Conversation So Far' Stakeholder Event Report', https://www.wcva.org.uk/media/4657899/stakeholder-event-report-english-281016-small-without-watermark.pdf ] Before becoming law parts of the bill were criticised but it changed as it developed.[Note 234: BBC, Welsh government's well-being bill has 'no clear purpose', http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-31802841 ] The Welsh Government published the well-being objectives in November 2016.[Note 235: Welsh Government, ‘Written Statement - Taking Wales Forward: The Welsh Government's well-being objectives', http://gov.wales/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2016-new/wellbeingobjectives/?lang=en] The Welsh Commissioner for Future Generations welcomed the publication as a significant step forward for transparency.[Note 236: Future Generations, Commissioner for Wales ‘Commissioner responds to Welsh Government well-being objectives', https://futuregenerations.wales/news/commissioner-responds-to-welsh-government-well-being-objectives/ ]

The government's first Annual Well-Being report for Wales, which makes up milestone 2, was slightly behind schedule but was published in September 2017.[Note 237: Interview with Rhiannon Caunt, Welsh Government, 6 September 2017, and Welsh Government (2017), Well-Being of Wales 2016-2017, http://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2017/170925-well-being-wales-2016-17-en.pdf]

End of Term: Complete

The commitment was completed when the first Annual Well-Being report was published.

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Major

Civic Participation: Major

The commitment has increased access to information by making more data available in an easier to use and access way, on the actions of government (and other) bodies across a range of subjects, with data on health, language and employment all published, for the first time, in one place and presented in an easy to interpret format, with links to sources and further explanation. The Well Being data covers 46 different areas, from air pollution to lifestyle choices, and museums to language abilities. Some of the data was already available but some appears to have been collated and further developed by the plan itself. The Welsh government pointed out that the commitment has led to ‘additional breakdowns by geographical area or population group where this has been possible'.[Note 238: Welsh Government (2017), Well Being Report, https://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/well-being-wales/?lang=en ] Wales' chief statistician Glyn Jones said the commitment was ‘important' in ‘bringing together a range of statistics on a wide range of topics' that could work as a benchmark'.[Note 239: BBC (2017), Well-being progress made but challenges remain, report says, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-41386999 ] In May 2018 the Future Generations Commissioner, reflecting on the law and data, praised the release but spoke of the need to keep information simple and involve the public in creation of the reports.[Note 240: Future Generations Commissioner Wales (2018), Well-being in Wales: the journey so far Future Generations Commissioner for Wales May 2018, http://futuregenerations.wales/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FGCW-1-year-Report-_English.pdf]

In terms of civic participation, the well-being plan is specifically designed to encourage integration, collaboration and involvement and ‘place well-being at the heart of regeneration policy'. One recent academic study argued that the well-being Act had been part of a suite of changes in Wales that had helped' increase opportunities for local people to have a voice in the planning process', though they ‘warned that there must be awareness of pressures on overburdened, under-resourced local authorities'.[Note 241: Jones, M. and Spence, A. (2017) Empowering local people through the planning process: The emerging practice of Place Planning and its contribution to community well-being in Wales. In: Brotas, L., Roaf, S. and Nicol, F., eds. (2017) Design to Thrive. Edinburgh, UK: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings, pp. 4493-4500] The law has led to experiments with online toolkits, ‘Shape my town', built to assist local community groups, and this has helped local groups get involved in urban development and planning projects in various Welsh towns, as well as Welsh National Parks.

Carried Forward?

This commitment was not carried forward.

Commitments

  1. Grants Data

    UK0090, 2019, Access to Information

  2. Digital Charter

    UK0091, 2019, Access to Information

  3. Open Policy Making

    UK0092, 2019, Public Participation

  4. Open Contracting Data

    UK0093, 2019, Access to Information

  5. Natural Resource Transparency

    UK0094, 2019, Access to Information

  6. Innovation in Democracy Programme

    UK0095, 2019, Local Commitments

  7. Sustainable Open Government

    UK0096, 2019, Capacity Building

  8. Local Transparency

    UK0097, 2019, Access to Information

  9. Beneficial Ownership – UK

    UK0063, 2016, Anti-Corruption

  10. Natural Resource Transparency

    UK0064, 2016, Access to Information

  11. Anti-Corruption Strategy

    UK0065, 2016, Anti-Corruption

  12. Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub

    UK0066, 2016, Anti-Corruption

  13. Open Contracting

    UK0067, 2016, Access to Information

  14. Grants Data

    UK0068, 2016, Access to Information

  15. Elections Data

    UK0069, 2016, Access to Information

  16. Revising Freedom of Information Act Code of Practice

    UK0070, 2016, Access to Information

  17. Identifying and Publishing Core Data Assets

    UK0071, 2016, Access to Information

  18. Involving Data Users in Shaping the Future of Open Data

    UK0072, 2016, Access to Information

  19. Better Use of Data Assets

    UK0073, 2016, Access to Information

  20. GOV.UK

    UK0074, 2016, Access to Information

  21. Ongoing Collaborative Approach to Open Government Reform

    UK0075, 2016, E-Government

  22. Open Government at All Levels

    UK0076, 2016, Local Commitments

  23. Open Policy-Making and Public Engagement

    UK0077, 2016, Capacity Building

  24. Public Sector Innovation

    UK0078, 2016, Access to Information

  25. OCDS Implementation

    UK0079, 2016, Access to Information

  26. Open-Up Government

    UK0080, 2016, Access to Information

  27. Open Data Plan

    UK0081, 2016, Access to Information

  28. Open Data Service

    UK0082, 2016, Access to Information

  29. Statswales

    UK0083, 2016, Access to Information

  30. Data Research Centre Wales

    UK0084, 2016, E-Government

  31. Government Social Research Publication Protocol

    UK0085, 2016, E-Government

  32. Gov.Wales

    UK0086, 2016, E-Government

  33. Code of Practice in Supply Chains

    UK0087, 2016, Labor

  34. Starred commitment National Indicators for Wales

    UK0088, 2016, Fiscal Openness

  35. Starred commitment Well-Being Duty

    UK0089, 2016, Anti-Corruption

  36. National Information Infrastructure

    UK0042, 2013,

  37. NHS England Website and Network

    UK0043, 2013, Health

  38. Revised Local Authories Data Transparency Code

    UK0044, 2013, Capacity Building

  39. Transparent Social Investment Market

    UK0045, 2013, Access to Information

  40. Manage and Capture Digital Records

    UK0046, 2013, Capacity Building

  41. Starred commitment Cross-Government Anti-Corruption Plan

    UK0047, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  42. Starred commitment Company Beneficial Ownership Information

    UK0048, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  43. Access to Police Records

    UK0049, 2013, Justice

  44. Transparency in Construction

    UK0050, 2013, Infrastructure & Transport

  45. Legislative Openness

    UK0051, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  46. Whistleblowing

    UK0052, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  47. Open Contracting

    UK0053, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  48. Open Contracting Scotland

    UK0054, 2013, Anti-Corruption

  49. Starred commitment International Aid Transparency

    UK0055, 2013, Access to Information

  50. Health Care Data

    UK0056, 2013, Access to Information

  51. Open Policy Making

    UK0057, 2013, E-Government

  52. Sciencewise

    UK0058, 2013, E-Government

  53. Publication of Draft Legislation

    UK0059, 2013, Open Parliaments

  54. OpenDataCommunities Programme

    UK0060, 2013, Access to Information

  55. PSI Re-Use Directive

    UK0061, 2013, Access to Information

  56. Starred commitment Extractive Transparency

    UK0062, 2013, Access to Information

  57. Ensuring a Clear Process to Support Reduction in Collection of ‘Unnecessary Data’

    UK0024, 2011, E-Government

  58. Developing Data.Gov.Uk and Identifying Other Digital Channels to Support Users

    UK0025, 2011,

  59. Evidence and Databases Behind Policy Statements

    UK0026, 2011, E-Government

  60. Data Underlying Surveys

    UK0027, 2011, E-Government

  61. Examining Ways for Improving the Use of Existing Published Data

    UK0028, 2011, E-Government

  62. Stimulate the Market for Innovative Use of Open Data

    UK0029, 2011, Access to Information

  63. Spend up to 5% of Budget Support on Accountability

    UK0030, 2011, E-Government

  64. Include the OGP Eligibility Criteria to Determine Readiness for UK Budget Support

    UK0031, 2011, Aid

  65. Publish Aid Information from All ODA Government Departments

    UK0032, 2011, Aid

  66. Use a Single Domain for Government Services

    UK0033, 2011, E-Government

  67. Mandate ‘Channel Shift’

    UK0034, 2011, E-Government

  68. Go Online for All Consultations

    UK0035, 2011, E-Government

  69. Develop Practical Guidelines on Departmental Access to Internet and Social Media

    UK0036, 2011, Civic Space

  70. Open Data and Application Interfaces in Ways That Encourage Businesses

    UK0037, 2011, Access to Information

  71. Create Cross-Government Standards on APIs

    UK0038, 2011, Public Participation

  72. Establish Standardised Formats for User-Satisfaction Data

    UK0039, 2011, Public Participation

  73. Provide Government Documents in Open Standard Format

    UK0040, 2011, Access to Information

  74. Implement Crowd-Sourcing and Engagement Processes

    UK0041, 2011, Public Participation

  75. New Power to Secure Release of Valuable Datasets

    UK0001, 2011,

  76. New, Higher Cost Cap for FOI

    UK0002, 2011, Access to Information

  77. Meaningful Disincentives

    UK0003, 2011,

  78. Maximum Time Limits

    UK0004, 2011, Access to Information

  79. Altered Procurement Rules

    UK0005, 2011,

  80. Mandating Phased Introduction of ‘Public by Default’

    UK0006, 2011, E-Government

  81. Formalising Public Data Principles

    UK0007, 2011,

  82. Having in Place an Open Data Compliance Monitoring Process

    UK0008, 2011,

  83. Making Clear the Minimum Citizens Can Expect on Publication and Quality of Data

    UK0009, 2011,

  84. Ensuring a Line of Continuous Improvement for Public Service Providers

    UK0010, 2011, Access to Information

  85. Encourage Continuous Improvement

    UK0011, 2011,

  86. Setting Out How Citizens Can Challenge Where There Is Failure in the Process

    UK0012, 2011, Public Participation

  87. Establishing an Obligation to Consider and Act on User Feedback

    UK0013, 2011, Public Participation

  88. Making Clear That Licenses Must Cover Free, Commercial Re-Use

    UK0014, 2011,

  89. Merge Information Asset Registers…Into a Single Data Inventory

    UK0015, 2011,

  90. Set Consistent Expectations of the Appropriate Quality of Meta-Data

    UK0016, 2011, Records Management

  91. For Data Co-Ordinated Across Government, Set Definitions

    UK0017, 2011, E-Government

  92. Introducing Corporate Responsibility at Transparency Board Level

    UK0018, 2011,

  93. Strengthening and Broadening the Public Sector Transparency Board

    UK0019, 2011, Anti-Corruption

  94. Bringing the Sector Transparency Board Model to Other Parts of Public Sector

    UK0020, 2011, Anti-Corruption

  95. Reviewing the Existing Governance and Regulatory Model

    UK0021, 2011,

  96. Establishing a Framework for Public Service Providers Data Inventories

    UK0022, 2011, Records Management

  97. Developing a Clear Methodology to Support Intelligent Inventories

    UK0023, 2011,

Open Government Partnership