Routes to access: what affects the decisions that ONS makes about research data access

Paul J Jackson,

Office for National Statistics

Decisions in context

We don’t have a free hand or a clean slate

Some long term, substantial, and effectively fixed

• Legal frameworks• Government policies• National strategies

Others are shorter term, and more flexible

• Department organisation and resource allocations• Approved Researcher, project approvals• Partnerships, relationships and trust

Involvement in decision making

Whether you get access to data for your

research is a result of all of these elements.

• Some you can control directly• Some you can influence• Some you get consulted about• Some you have no control over at all

But knowing about them allows you to make the most of

the leverage you have.

New legal framework

Statistics and Registration Service Act• Parliamentary acknowledgement for research use of

confidential data• Strong confidentiality protection• Legal authority to give any individual access to any data

from any ONS source at any level of detail for specific research purposes, given certain safeguards

• Very flexible and very powerful• With power comes responsibility !

Legal Framework

Positive for future research data access?• Yes. Great improvement on previous legal framework(s)

If we do feel a pinch?• Might come from Judicial Review of our use of the law,

so…• Constant scrutiny• But otherwise, we have an excellent, future-proof law for

research data access

Legal Framework

How will this affect decisions?• 30+ years of good, responsible research with confidential

data has allowed Parliament to legislate in this generous way

• Respect for this new law, and its safeguards, will ensure it remains available for decades of stable use.

• Research community needs to build into its practices the necessary structures to allow us to operate this law properly

• These practices must conform with the expectations of the public

Government policies

Data sharing to deliver better public services :• Walport/Thomas Review• MISC 31 (Cabinet Committee for Data Sharing)• Ministerial Group for migration

Data Security :• Data Handling Review• Cabinet Sub-Committee for Personal Data Security

Social Exclusion Unit PAT18 Better Access to InformationPM Strategy Unit Wiring It Up: Whitehall’s Management of

Cross-cutting Policies and Services PM Strategy Unit Adding It Up: Analysis and Modelling in Central GovernmentPM Strategy Unit Privacy and Data Sharing: The Way Forward for Public ServicesDepartment for Every Child MattersEducation and SkillsGus O’Donnell Financing Britain’s Future, A Review of the

Revenue DepartmentsChristopher Allsopp Review of Statistics for Economic PolicymakingPhilip Hampton Reducing Administrative Burdens: Effective

Inspection and EnforcementMOD/DfT 'The Grand Challenge' -- Data Management and Data AssetsONS Report of the GSS Working Party on Data

TransferCabinet Office Transformational GovernmentCouncil for Science Better Use of Personal InformationAnd Technology

Government policy reports about sharing data and better analysis, 1999 - 2005

Government policies

Positive for future research data access?• Govt has a positive attitude to sharing data. Ministers

are determined to improve services by sharing data and to improve the evidence base for their decisions.

• Data Handling Review will introduce burdens

If we feel a pinch?• More data losses could ruin things for all of us• Already it is harder to support off-site non-remote

access where data is held on researchers’ machines• Census data loss catastrophic

Government policies

How will this affect decisions?• Keep lobbying – it pays in the end • ESRC response to the Walport Review was excellent and

certainly influenced its positive outcome.• Be patient with us as we implement new data handling

requirements• Support access arrangements that are more compliant

with these requirements• Public pressure is all about privacy and security, and will

only increase

National Strategies

National Data Strategy :• Clear direction of travel for both research

infrastructures and priority social research topics• Archives, remote access, laboratories• Aging population, child development, migration, and

globalisation.

ONS Statistical Priorities :• Migration, societal welfare, public sector efficiency,

service sector output, regional statistics.• Ongoing support for UKDA/CCSR, SDS, VML

National Strategies

Positive effect on future research data access?• Yes. Significant positive effect• Clearly ONS and ESRC have the same topic

priorities.• We also have similar visions for research

infrastructures

If we feel the pinch?• If we have to, we will prioritise research which most

supports these shared topic priorities.• And which is conducted within the NDS preferred

infrastructure.

National Strategies

How will this affect decisions?

• More explicit links between statistical research and national strategic priorities

• Keep the NDS alive• More use of the innovative infrastructures brought

about by the NDS• Especially laboratory or remote access facilities

Organisation and investment

Doing more with less• ONS has a challenging financial settlement and lots to

do• Our priority is the evidence base for policy making• Resources for anything else are tight, yet data

handling is getting more expensive• Infrastructures with low to zero costs to ONS are

favoured - obviously• UKDA, CCSR, and the Secure Data Service, are

therefore increasingly attractive

Organisation and investment

Positive effect on research data access?• Real and present pinch is the cost of risk management• Efficiency gain (doing more with less) is a big driver for

change in ONS data access.

So now we feel the pinch -• One source, many users minimises costs• Rationalisation of access sources and designs• Cost recovery but…• Last to go should be the principle of ‘free at point of

delivery’.

Organisation and investment

How will this affect decisions?

ONS needs the help, more than ever, of ESDS et al

Design of ‘safe data’ by ONS is expensive for us

Distributing confidential data is even more expensive

= ESDS, SDS, VML + Approved Researcher ?

Approved Researcher, MRP

MRP - Single point of authorisationTo check, before access, full compliance with :• Law• Safe person, place, and project• Forensic audit, ICE

AR – A legal gateway for access (only)• Approx 200 already. 30 per month is possible.• Success of VML dominates this total• But available for SDS, off-site, and all sources• Under close scrutiny

Approved Researcher, MRP

Positive for the future of research data access? Some pinch, but a good governance structure

MRP still coping

AR bedding in

Decisions must withstand scrutiny

If we feel the pinch?We spend 90% of our time on 10% of our customers

Improve the information about applying for access

Prioritise requests for access made well in advance…

Partners, Relationships and Trust

“The Board [is] to consider whether the individual is a fit and proper person…”

• No coincidence that this is what the Act says• UK has deliberately gone the ‘safe person’

route to maintain confidentiality• A credit to the research community

• Fill the forms, but don’t forget personal contact

Partners, Relationships and Trust

Positive for research data access? Yes

ESDS/ESRC – excellent relationship, getting still better

National Statistician is personally dedicated to research

DG for statistics is a social researcher

ONS shares innovations (like Special Licence)

If we feel the pinch?How can we get to know you better? AR conference?

Cut out the data shares that stretch our trust

Relationships, trust

Future? Let’s say :Basic licence data - n0000 relationshipsSDS remote access - n000VML - n00Bespoke, own site - n0

(Central and Local Government users not included)

Can we maintain meaningful relationships, and trust, at those volumes?

A key relationship…

Parliamentary scrutiny of ONS as NMD

We need your help to show Parliament :• The value of S39 (confidentiality / AR)• The value of economic and social research• The delivery of govt. policy for security• The delivery of our strategic aims• The improvement to societal well-being that arises

from the relationship ONS and the research community.

Conclusion

There has never been a better time to innovate in research data access

Questions?

Paul J Jackson

Room CB23

ONS Titchfield

PO15 5RR

Paul.j.jackson@ons.gov.uk

01329 444010