Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many information gateways there are in operation in his Department; and how those gateways are managed and monitored.

Defra does not hold a consolidated, central register of information gateways although the scope of gateways and their current use is well understood by relevant policy and operational teams.

Although much Defra data is published freely for reuse, more restricted data sharing both within and outside Government is common for regulatory and other reasons. Data sharing requests are typically dealt with on a case by case basis and available gateways are considered as part of an overall evaluation of the purpose, risks and benefits of sharing.

Defra’s arm’s length bodies manage their own use of information gateways.