Publishing data from the COINS database
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Issued 04 June 2010
Publishing data from the COINS database
As part of the Prime Minister’s transparency initiative, the Treasury has
today taken the unprecedented step of publishing data from the Combined Online
Information System (COINS) for 2008-09 and 2009-10 through data.gov.uk.
Comprising millions of lines, this is the most detailed UK public expenditure
data ever released. The Government is committed to being more transparent and
open in publishing information about the money it spends, where it spends it,
and the results it achieves.
COINS data is complex, and the information released today is in its raw form,
requiring technical expertise to process. Having access to this information for
the first time, institutions and experts will be able to process the data as
they wish, and present it in a way that is more accessible to the general
public.
Today’s action is an important step toward giving the public a greater
understanding of where their taxes are spent, and how their Government will
deliver on its promise to be more open and transparent. Building on today’s
announcement, the Treasury will work over the coming months to make sure COINS
data published in future is in a simpler, more accessible format.
The data published today can be accessed through
www.data.gov.uk. Guidance on downloading
and using the data is available on the Treasury website at
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/coins
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury said:
“For too long the previous Government acted as if the public had no right to
know where their hard earned taxes were spent. Today we have lifted that veil of
secrecy by releasing detailed spending figures dating back to 2008.
This data is complex, but this is major step forward and shows we are
delivering on our promise to make this Government more open and transparent
while ensuring we deliver value for money for the taxpayer. I hope people will
take the opportunity to scrutinise carefully how their money is being spent – as
I am doing every day in preparation for the Spending Review.
We will not stop here - we plan to release more data in the coming months
that will be easier for the general public to understand”
Notes
- COINS is used by the Treasury to collect financial data from across the
public sector to support fiscal management, the production of Supply Estimates
for Parliament, the production of public expenditure statistics, the
preparation of Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) and to meet data
requirements of the Office for National Statistics. A more detailed overview
of COINS and instructions for using the data can be found at
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/coins
- COINS is a consolidation system rather than an accounts application. It
therefore contains aggregate spending information rather than details of
specific items of spending.
- Further COINS data for all years back to 2005-06 will be made available by
15 June.
- The Government have also announced plans to publish further financial
data, including online publication of all new items of central government
expenditure over £25,000 from November 2010.
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