How do we respond to an ever-changing information, data and digital landscape? This is a big question for any organisation, and especially so for the UK Parliament. Parliament is a complex environment where emerging technologies sit alongside centuries-old traditions. Our community is extremely varied—from MPs, Peers, and their staff, to the teams providing critical services across Parliament, to the many different groups from across society who need to be able to engage with the work of Parliament.
A really clear vision and strategy—a strategy that has been created with insight from across Parliament—is essential to meeting the needs of the parliamentary community and achieving the right outcomes in this complex environment. So today, we’re excited to be launching Parliament’s new Information and Digital strategy. This is a huge milestone for us—it’s the first time Parliament has brought together its strategic ambitions for information, data and digital into one strategy, recognising that we cannot do any one of these, without the others. It replaces our former digital strategy, which we published in 2022, and it builds on it in significant ways.
What will it do?
The strategy aims to:
- make the most of new ways of working and emerging technology
- treat data and information as a vital asset
- provide the reliable digital services needed to make Parliament happen
It will support the strategies of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. For the first time, both Houses and PDS have the same strategic goals for information, data and digital.
The strategy is owned by the Information and Digital Board, the pan-Parliament body that provides the senior strategic leadership for information, data and digital in Parliament, but it was an immense collaborative effort to develop. Leaders and experts from across Parliament came together to identify what needs to happen to enhance Parliament’s information, data and digital services, and to create the strategy.
What does the strategy look like?
There are 11 strategic objectives, which are grouped into four themes:
- Transform
- Modernise
- Enable
- Protect
Transform
We’ll focus on the people who use our information, data and digital services, embedding new user-centred ways of working and improving connections between our information and data. We’ll continue to embed and evolve the new digital and data operating model for Parliament, exploring opportunities and risks of new technologies and the potential for innovative approaches.
Modernise
We’ll improve the quality of the information and data which underpins our services and continue to build tools to open up data about parliamentary procedure. We’ll also continue to reduce our legacy technology, decommissioning what we no longer need, and have clear plans in place for maintaining and enhancing what we do need.
Enable
We’ll make sure we have the right behaviours, systems, policies, skills and relationships in place to help Parliament achieve the outcomes it wants through the better use of information, data and digital in Parliament. We will make sure that everyone in Parliament has the information and data they need, whether to support decision making or measure and track performance.
Protect
We’ll focus on keeping Parliament cyber-secure and helping all of us better protect our information. We’ll set clear standards for digital, data and information and improve the security of Parliament’s information.
What’s next?
Perhaps the most important factor in making any strategy a success is ensuring everyone is fully engaged with it. At Parliament, this means everyone across both Houses and supporting departments understanding the work we’re doing to make the strategy a success and how they can contribute in their role.
We’ll keep you updated with our progress on this.
Read more
Read the full Information and Digital Strategy for Parliament.
Get involved
If you have any thoughts or feedback, get in touch – we'd love to hear them.
If you’re interested in working with us on our Information and Digital Strategy, check out our careers page.