Re-use of public sector information
Re-use of public sector information (RPSI) means using public sector information for a purpose which is different to the reason it was originally published.
RPSI is intended to allow and encourage re-use of public sector information; an individual, company or organisation can:
- take information we've produced and re-using it for a new purpose
- combine our information with other information
- reuse our information on a commercial basis
RPSI is not about accessing information, which is dealt with under information access law.
Request re-use of public sector information
To make a request for re-use of public sector information in writing or by email you must:
- include your name and address
- give details of which information you want to re-use
- provide a clear description of what you're going to use the information for
We'll respond to your request within 20 working days. We'll let you know if our response is going to take longer, for example, if large amounts of information are involved, or your request raises complex issues.
We'll deal with your request as under the appropriate 'access request' law (to decide whether the information is exempt) if we've never provided such information before. If the information is not exempt, we'll accept your request to re-use it. If the information is exempt, we don't have to permit re-use of it; RPSI doesn't apply to information that's exempt from disclosure under information access law.
Information in different formats and languages
The information you've requested for re-use will be provided:
- in the format and language in which we hold it
- in an open format, such as comma-separated values, or 'CSV' file (rather than formats with licence restrictions, such as .xls)
- in 'machine-readable' form, structured so that it can be processed by a computer
If you request information that we don't hold in a machine-readable format, we'll convert it to be machine-readable if possible and appropriate to do so.