As well, the Working Group met with representatives of other government initiatives, reviewed material from Focus Group Sessions and reviewed the results of a CRA Atlantic Omnibus Survey conducted in August 1995. Government recognizes the value of its information holdings. By sharing information amongst its departments and agencies, government will realize improved efficiencies and improved service to the Public. These are admirable objectives. However, much of the information held by Government is personal information and the public expects their privacy to be protected.
Government remains committed to openness and accessibility.
Access to government information is an important aspect of this commitment. Any initiatives resulting from the work of the Information Policy Initiative or other current or future attempts to make government information more accessible must be sensitive to the personal privacy concerns and legislated rights of all Nova Scotians. Privacy and accessibility should always be in balance. The Nova Scotia Government through the efforts of the Individual Client Architecture Review committee is currently investigating the possibility of using the Health Card Number as a single client identifier for all government departments. The intent is to reduce costs while at the same time improve efficiency and convenience of client service and the accuracy of government held information.