Over the last two years, we have made it significantly easier to access public data. In his letter to departments in May 2010, 1 the Prime Minister commissioned an opening up of the inner workings of government to external scrutiny, releasing data on finance, resources, procurement and the estate in an open, regular and re-usable format. A second letter in July 20112 focused on data releases from key public services including health, education, crime and justice, and transport, exploring ways in which such transparency could boost economic growth.