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DWP looks to embed machine-readable laws into digital ‘Universal Credit navigator’
Via PublicTechnology.net:
The Department for Work and Pensions is leading a project in the emerging area of ‘rules as code’ – which aims to create legislation that is readable for both humans and machines.
The idea of the rules-as-code approach is that designing laws and regulations that can be written in computer-readable code will improve delivery of citizen services and other government functions that are now, often, provided digitally.
The DWP is working with specialist tech firm Novallex and government lawyers – including the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, whose role is to work with departments to draft new legislation – on a year-long project to develop a digital “Universal Credit navigator tool”.
PublicTechnology understands that, once complete, the tool will likely be primarily used by DWP staff or others providing citizens with advice on benefits. But the department intends to make the tool freely available online for UC claimants and the general public, in support of the aim of improving transparency and making it easier to access and understand the law.
See also: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/21cb620b-70ef-4109-bfba-6ee2ba3de495
[ Edited: 15 Sep 2023 at 03:42 pm by shawn mach ]
This is an area I’ve been interested in, and followed, since getting involved with the Alvey Project almost 40 years ago. It offers a lot of opportunity, but it’s not simple. (which means that it hasn’t yet been shown to work). How long has the tax simplification project been running?
Have at look at #rulesascode stuff on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=rulesascode to get an idea of how many legislative drafters are working on the idea.I’m not going to expect a lot from a 1 year project on UC, with number of defeats and redefinations in the legislation already.
We were told in a recent meeting that this system is in place in New Zealand apparently but don’t know anything more than that.
NZ has done a lot of leading work but there is certainly not ‘a system in place’. Have a look at the report http://www.nzlii.org/nz/journals/NZLFRRp/2021/3.pdf
Looks like this NZ org is involved:
Some interesting comments in this Twitter thread, started by Neil Couling and with contributions from Gareth and from John Sheridan from the National Archives:
Am I being too cynical but this sounds like an arcane form of “computer says no”?