|
|
|
| |
[NOTE:
The words marked in bold type were inserted by the Lords to
avoid |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Make
provision for a website in order to enable public access to
information |
|
|
about government expenditure;
and for connected purposes. |
|
|
Be
it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty,
by and with the advice and |
|
|
consent of the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
|
|
Parliament assembled,
and by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
|
|
1 |
Creation
of government expenditure website |
|
|
(1) |
The Treasury shall create,
or cause to be created, a publicly searchable website |
|
|
containing information
about expenditure by all government departments and |
|
|
|
|
(2) |
Expenditure which derives,
directly or indirectly, from the Scottish |
|
5 |
Consolidated Fund or the
Welsh Consolidated Fund is not covered by this Act. |
|
|
(3) |
Access to the information
on the website must not be conditional on the |
|
|
|
|
(4) |
Information about expenditure
by government departments or executive |
|
|
agencies must be available
on the website within 30 days of the date on which |
|
10 |
the expenditure was incurred. |
|
|
(5) |
The information in subsection
(4) must remain available for a period ending |
|
|
five years after the end
of the financial year in which the expenditure was |
|
|
|
|
(6) |
In this Act “financial
year” means the period of 12 months ending with 31 |
|
15 |
|
|
2 |
Power
of Treasury to extend website to expenditure by other bodies |
|
|
(1) |
The Treasury may by regulations
require any body or person in the public |
|
|
sector which receives funding
directly or indirectly from a government |
|
|
department or executive
agency to provide information about its expenditure |
|
20 |
for inclusion on the website
in the same way as that required for government |
|
|
departments or executive
agencies. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(2) |
A
person or body is in the public sector for the purposes of this
section if the |
|
|
Office for National Statistics
classifies it to the public sector in the national |
|
|
|
|
3 |
Power
of Treasury to specify content and availability of website |
|
|
(1) |
The Treasury may by regulations
specify the content and availability of the |
|
5 |
website required by section
1
including, but not limited to— |
|
|
(a) |
the times during which the
website must be available for public access; |
|
|
(b) |
the nature of the information
that must be made available; and |
|
|
(c) |
the use of classification
or coding systems in order to facilitate analysis |
|
|
|
10 |
(2) |
The regulations may require
different information to be made available for |
|
|
items of expenditure above
one or more specified thresholds. |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
This Act does not require
information to be made available on the website if its |
|
|
availability would, or
would be likely to, prejudice— |
|
15 |
|
|
(b) |
the defence of the British
Isles or of any colony; |
|
|
(c) |
the capability, effectiveness
or security of the armed forces of the |
|
|
Crown and any forces cooperating
with those forces; or |
|
|
(d) |
relations between the United
Kingdom and any other State, |
|
20 |
international organisation
or international court. |
|
|
|
|
“international
court” means any international court which is not an |
|
|
international organisation
and which is established— |
|
|
(a) |
by a resolution of
an international organisation of which the |
|
25 |
United Kingdom is
a member, or |
|
|
(b) |
by an international
agreement to which the United Kingdom is |
|
|
|
|
“international
organisation” means any international organisation whose
|
|
|
members include any two
or more States, or any organ of such an |
|
30 |
|
|
“State” includes
the government of any State and any organ of its |
|
|
government, and references
to a State other than the United Kingdom |
|
|
include references to any
territory outside the United Kingdom. |
|
|
|
35 |
Nothing in this Act authorises
the processing, obtaining, holding, use or |
|
|
disclosure of information
in contravention of the Data Protection
Act 1998 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
Information
Commissioner |
|
|
(1) |
The Information Commissioner
shall have the power to examine compliance |
|
40 |
with this Act in response
to a request by any person or otherwise. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(2) |
The
Secretary of State may make regulations which facilitate the
exercise of the |
|
|
power of the Information
Commissioner under this Act. |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
The Treasury shall prepare
a report by the end of the financial year following |
|
|
the coming into force of
this Act, and annually thereafter, setting out— |
|
5 |
(a) |
the extent to which the
website has been available, |
|
|
(b) |
the use made of the website,
and |
|
|
(c) |
the effectiveness of the
website |
|
|
|
for
the purposes of allowing public access to information about
government |
|
|
|
10 |
(2) |
The report shall be laid
before each House of Parliament. |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Any power of the Treasury
to make regulations under this Act is exercisable by |
|
|
|
|
(2) |
Any power of the Secretary
of State to make regulations under this Act is |
|
15 |
exercisable by statutory
instrument. |
|
|
(3) |
A statutory instrument
containing regulations made by the Treasury under |
|
|
section 2
(power of Treasury to extend the website to expenditure by other
|
|
|
bodies) must not be made
unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before, |
|
|
and approved by a resolution
of, each House of Parliament. |
|
20 |
(4) |
A statutory instrument
containing regulations made under any other provision |
|
|
of this Act is subject
to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House |
|
|
|
|
9 |
Short
title and commencement |
|
|
(1) |
This Act may be cited as
the Government Spending (Website) Act 2007. |
|
25 |
(2) |
This Act shall come into
force at the end of the period of one year beginning |
|
|
with the day on which it
is passed. |
|
|
(3) |
Nothing
in this Act shall impose any charge on the people or on public
|
|
|
funds,
or vary the amount or incidence of or otherwise alter any such
charge |
|
|
in
any manner, or affect the assessment, levying, administration
or |
|
30 |
application
of any money raised by any such charge. |
|
|
| |
|
|
