Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the worldwide web, is to help the government publish and catalogue more information online over the next few months.

Prime minister Gordon Brown made the announcement today as part of a package of reforms aimed at improving the transparency of government in response to the expenses scandal.

"I have asked Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who led the creation of the worldwide web, to help us drive the opening up of access to government data in the web over the coming months," Brown told MPs.

All MPs' expense claims over the last four years would be published on the internet "within the next few days", he added.

Brown also backed improvements to the government's e-petitions system.

The government already has a body charged with opening up state information online, known as the Power of Information Taskforce, which published a report in March with recommendations for how the agenda could be carried forward.