What does open government mean in practice? This book offers an authoritative and highly topical look at the implementation of reform from senior academics and civil servants. Britain's situation and future requirements are set in context by insights from other Westminster systems of government, namely Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Each of these accounts is itself an original contribution to the literature on that country's experience. Throughout, the emphasis in upon freedom of information and privacy issues.

JUDITH AITKEN Chief Executive, New Zealand's Education Review Office and formerly Lecturer in Political Science, Victoria University VERNON BOGDANOR Professor of Government, University of Oxford ELIZABETH FRANCE Data protection Registrar, the Home Office ROBERT PETER GILLIS President of RPG Information Services, Canada and formerly Director of Information, Security and Communications Policy, Canadian Federal Treasury Board ROBERT HAZELL Director, Constitution Unit, School of Public Policy, University College, London GERRY KEARNEY Principal Officer in the Irish Department of Finance; worked on Irish freedom of information legislation AINE STAPLETON Assistant Principal in the Irish Department of Finance; worked on Irish freedom of information legislation DAVID WILKINSON Director, Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service), with responsibility for the Machinery of Government and Standards