Ministerial Foreword

For almost three years the Digital Dialogues project has supported the government’s commitment to increase public participation in policy development. We have come a long way in this time, and there is much wider acceptance across government that citizens expect to be able to engage us online. This third Digital Dialogues report provides practical guidance for government agencies and politicians that want to make the most of opportunities to engage in this way. It emphasises the need to embed engagement in our processes and culture, and to be open to adapting our policies as a result of effective public participation.

The Government recently set out its plans for involving citizens in decision-making in the Ministry of Justice’s Governance of Britain programme and the Department of Communities and Local Government’s Community Empowerment programme. In these plans, talking with people face-to-face remains a central activity. However, Digital Dialogues has shown us how online methods can complement more traditional techniques: they can reach different audiences, provide less formal avenues to engage, and help to maintain contact with people beyond a single engagement event.

Online engagement presents exciting possibilities for the Government to converse with citizens. As the 2007 Power of Information Review recognized, there are new types of communities forming online with which government agencies could productively engage – if they take the right approach. Digital Dialogues provides advice on how to successfully connect with these communities. It also highlights the benefits of online engagement when it is properly run: well-informed policy and good relationships between citizens and their government.

It will be a continuing challenge for government agencies to take advantage of online communication options as they emerge. It will require the continuing devotion of time and development of expertise. The Digital Dialogues programme demonstrates that the Government is prepared to meet this challenge by testing new methods, accepting expert advice, and sharing good practice.

I commend the Hansard Society for this valuable report, and for its work throughout the Digital Dialogues programme. I also appreciate the participation of my Ministerial colleagues and the government officials who were willing to try different methods of reaching the public, and who provided the case studies for the Digital Dialogues programme.

I trust that this report will encourage even more of my government colleagues to undertake online engagement, and promote greater public participation in discussions of policy.

Michael Wills MP

Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice