Recommendations

52 It is recommended that the Cabinet Committee:

1. note that the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) Metadata Standard and System, and their use by public sector organisations, is critical to the achievement of e-government goals;

2. note that development of the NZGLS Metadata Standard and System has involved the strong participation of a large number of public sector organisations;

3. agree that use of the NZGLS Metadata Standard be the official New Zealand Government standard for creating discovery level metadata in the public sector;

4. note that this endorsement is consistent with the recommendations of the State Sector Standards Board regarding the need to set common standards in the public sector;

5. agree that the State Services Commission be the steward, and that Archives New Zealand act as custodian, of the NZGLS Standard, as per a memorandum of understanding and service levels agreements that they will jointly agree;

6. note that the State Services Commission will consult public sector organisations contributing metadata to the NZGLS over any future changes of the standard;

7. agree that the Portal will only recognise and make use of NZGLS-compliant metadata records for those of its functions that depend on metadata created by the public sector;

8. direct all Public Service departments, the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, and the Government Communications Security Bureau to become NZGLS compliant (as specified in paragraph A.11.1 of the NZGLS Metadata Standard), and make NZGLS metadata records available to the NZGLS System, so as to ensure that their services and relevant information resources (both online and offline) can be discovered by the Portal search engine's metadata searching capability. This requires that:

8.1. by 31 May 2002 departments, exercising their discretion, must each have created a significant percentage of the minimum set of NZGLS-compliant metadata records (as specified in Section A:10 of the NZGLS Metadata Standard) and made it available to the Portal;

8.2. after 31 May 2002 departments will each continue to create metadata and make it available until the specification of NZGLS-compliance has been met; and

8.3. from 30 June 2002 onwards departments will each have an ongoing responsibility to ensure they are NZGLS compliant, and will be expected to create and make available sufficient NZGLS compliant metadata (minimum set plus discretionary records) to ensure that all their services and/or relevant data and information resources are easily discoverable through the Portal at all times.

9. request the Speaker of the House to direct the Office of the Clerk, and the Parliamentary Service, to achieve NZGLS compliance on the same basis as the Public Service;

10. agree that Responsible Ministers will, in coordination with the Minister of State Services, encourage organisations in the wider State sector to achieve NZGLS compliance on the same basis as the Public Service;

11. agree that the Minister of State Services will, on behalf of Cabinet, invite local authorities to achieve NZGLS compliance on the same basis as the Public Service and wider State sector;

12. note that the cost of creating metadata will be met from within existing baselines, will vary from organisation to organisation, and that some of this variance will be at agencies' discretion;

13. note that easy access to government information and services, achieved through use of the NZGLS (Standard and System) by the public sector will, in combination with the web Portal, reduce compliance costs faced by the public and business;

14. note that the Minister of State Services will publicise development of the NZGLS as a major e-government achievement;

15. note that the Minister of State Serviceswill require the E-government Unit of the State Services Commission to prepare a progress report for Cabinet's consideration in May 2002; and

16. direct the State Services Commission, in consultation with the Cabinet Office, to prepare and release a Cabinet Office Circular promulgating the Committee's decisions.

Hon Trevor Mallard

Minister of State Services