Central and Local Government resources
Governments and official organisations have seized upon the Internet as a means of
delivering better and more convenient services to citizens as the much-heralded
‘Information Society’ evolves. A number of UK government initiatives in, for
example, the health and welfare services have placed electronic communications at
the heart of plans to widen participation to the democratic society. The Internet is seen
not only as a way of providing one way information, but increasingly as a way of
governments and official bodies interacting with their electorate. Increasingly you
will find online ways of communicating with these bodies. The potential to reduce
paperwork and trips to post, tax and other government offices is substantial and in the
UK, the government have stated that 25% of government services will be accessible
electronically by 2002. A number of MPs now have email addresses and some have
their own web pages providing local information on their constituencies.
Resources in this section cover the following areas of government-related
information:

National UK government

Local UK government

Europe

International government

General resources
National UK Government
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CCTA Government Information Service
http://www.open.gov.uk/
A starting point to the Government’s Information service. Here you will find links to
all government departments and offices. This gateway will point you in the right
direction for what you need.
UK Statutory Instruments
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm
All Statutory Instruments since 1997 are available here in full text.
House of Lords Judgments delivered since 14 November 1996
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/
pa/ld199697/ldjudgmt/ldjudgmt.htm
Full text of judgements.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
http://www.culture.gov.uk/
Primarily provides information about the work of the department. The site hosts the
National Lottery Awards web site, which includes a searchable database of lottery
awards.
Number 10
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/index.html
The section on government press releases is updated daily. You can post your
comments on aspects of government to the open discussion email list and listen to live
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Prime Ministerial broadcasts. Also includes a history of Number 10 and brief
biographies of recent Prime Ministers.
United Kingdom Parliament
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/
Entry point for information about the UK Parliament. From here you can search the
parliamentary publications database that contains all types of published articles,
including Hansard, MP’s written answers and the Register of Member’s Interests. The
site also includes a list of all members of Parliament with their email addresses and
link to web sites where available.
UK Government Departments
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~bopcas/ukgovw3/whatsnew.htm
An A-Z listing of department departments. Useful if you know the department you are
looking for.
UK Official Publications on the Internet
http://www.official-documents.co.uk/menu/ukpinf.htm
This Stationary Office site provides full text or summaries of selected official
government documents.
BOPCAS (British Official Publications Current Awareness Service)
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~bopcas/
The site provides details of official government publications. A number of
subscription services are available but access is free to weekly listing of new
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publications. An online document ordering service is also available free of charge.
Local UK government
Information available on local authority sites will vary from authority to authority,
although from most sites you will be able to find names and contact details (and
sometimes email addresses) for elected members, details of council policies and
initiatives and links and information for tourists and businesses in the region.
Directory of UK Local Government on the Web
http://www.tagish.co.uk/tagish/links/localgov.htm
Links to all county, metropolitan, unitary, borough and district authority sites. A
listing of town and parish council sites are also available here. Tagish is an
Information Society consultancy firm and does a lot of work in the public sector. The
‘Essential List’ on this web site is a useful link to UK and worldwide government and
public sector related sites.
Local Government Association
http://www.lga.gov.uk
Provides information on issues that affect the functioning of local government, such
as parliamentary documents and information on the workings of the LGA itself. The
‘Councillors gateway’ provides information for elected members. Part of the site is
restricted to LGA members only.
BBC’s UK Politics site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/default.htm
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As well as the latest UK political news, this large site publishes transcripts of
politicians interviewed for the web site, there are short biographies about all MPs and
SMPs and members of the Welsh Assembly. There is an A-Z of Parliament which
explains, for example, the job of the speaker, and the different Parliamentary Bills.
Sounds and video from the House of Commons, House of Lords, Parliamentary
Committees, European Parliament and BBC political programmes are available. The
site includes links to all the main UK political parties and a diary of future UK
political events.
Europe
The Internet is particular useful for providing access to the ever increasing amount of
information produced relating to the European Union. Even the smallest branch or
mobile library can provide access to the vast amount of documentation available
online. Given the amount available, navigation and finding what you want is not
particularly easy, Europa and Euroguide are good places to start though.
Europa
http://europa.eu.int
Main entry point to information on and about the European Union. The ABC to the
European Union is particularly useful in providing basic information on the EU,
citizens rights and key issues such as the Euro and employment; as well as access to
official documents, legal texts, publications and databases, and sources of
information. The site is available in 11 European languages.
Euroguide
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http://www.euroguide.org
A subject gateway to the European Union developed by Essex County Libraries and
EARL. Resources are found via lists of categories, such as education, libraries,
telecommunications, or via an A-Z listing resources. You ask questions about the
European Union via email and can suggest sites for inclusion in the guide.
Council of Europe
http://www.coe.fr
Includes a useful presentation explaining what the council is and what it does, as well
as all the expected links to council documents, news and related sites. Information is
available in French and English.
Governments Online
http://europa.eu.int/gonline_en.html
Links to citizen-oriented information in European countries. Part of the large Europa
site.
European Voice Online
http://www.european-voice.com
The online version of a weekly print newspaper covering European Union affairs.
International government
As well as providing information about a nation’s governance, some of these sites,
such as Welcome to the White House, are useful as a demonstration of the potential
way in which governments can exploit the interactivity of the Internet to make
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themselves more accountable to their citizens.
Web Sites on National Parliaments
http://www.polisci.umn.edu/information/parliaments/index.html
A simple A-Z list of parliamentary sites provided by the Department of Political
Science at the University of Minnesota. Other resources available on the site, such as
US governmental and political sites may also be of interest.
Politician’s around the world
http://www.trytel.com/~aberdeen
Names and (postal) addresses of Monarchs, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and
Governors in 195 countries. Email addresses and web pages are becoming available.
A great resource, if it continues to be kept up to date. Also containing links to
resources on lobbying.
World Wide Web Virtual Library: US Government Information Sources
http://www.nttc.edu/gov_res.html
A useful starting point to all aspects of US government.
Welcome to the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The site aims to improve the way the US government uses the Internet to
communicate with its citizens. Access is available to all online resources made
available by US government agencies via a subject index and a free-text search
engine. Email can be sent to the President, Vice President, and their spouses. A
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history of the White House and its occupants is available and you can listen to (and
read the transcript of) the President's weekly radio addresses. ‘The White House for
Kids’ shows the White House from a child’s’ perspective.
The Commonwealth Online
http://www.tcol.co.uk
This is the official site of the Commonwealth and provides much information about
the Commonwealth organisation itself. The Member Countries section provides useful
summaries of aspects such as transportation, economic, legal, constitutional and
geographic facts.
FedWorld
http://www.fedworld.gov/
A useful starting point of searching out US Government information.
General government resources
For the academic and general enquiry.
Internet Resource Guides from Keele University Department of Politics
http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk
A list of useful resources from the University of Keele. Covers governmental and
political resources in a number of countries and includes constitutions, treaties,
declarations, manifestos and political philosophy. The data archives provide links to a
wide range of statistics sources.
The Political Studies Association of the UK’s Gateway to the WWW
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http://www.psa.ac.uk/www/
Provides links to a wise range of political resources on the Internet through a search
engine and a structured directory.
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