Tim Kelsey, the government's recently appointed director of transparency has said at an event that the government will look to promote discussion on open data to determine what different parties want to gather.

He was speaking at an event on open data staged by the thinktank Demos. He said that the open data will generate "vast markets" driving the next generation of life sciences. He said that it could bring huge economic opportunity and that open government was the best way to drive the performance of public services.

"The consultation that government will commence in a couple of weeks will ask everyone what we want to see in the future," he said. "What I hope we want is openness as the point of principle, with any exemptions to follow."

He pointed out that there is evidence suggesting that open data force public service to perform better and facilitate consumer choice. He said that transparency should be a point of principle.

Kelsey expressed that data is being released by government agencies but there is growing consensus that it should also include any organization that receives public money for providing a service. He explained that the discussions will revolve around what he called as the six domains of open data: accountability, choice, public service productivity, outcomes in quality, social growth and economic growth.