1. How the ADRC-E can support your research and enhance its impact Peter W. F. Smith

2. Outline  Administrative data research  UK administrative data sources  The Administrative Data Task Force  The Administrative Data Research Network  The Administrative Data Research Centre for England 2

3. Administrative data research  Uses data collected primarily for administrative purposes, usually when delivering a service – not for research  e.g. data from government departments, Office for National Statistics, but also interest in the Census and large surveys, and especially linked data  Both substantive and methodological  This research has previously tended to be carried out under ad hoc arrangements  The ADRN is intended to formalise and simplify the process, to undertake research and to support other researchers 3

4. Administrative data research  Data linkage  methods based on record-level linkage  methods based on (aggregate-level) geographical and temporal linkage  Evaluating and addressing linked data quality  assessment of the quality of administrative data  development of statistical methods for dealing with data linkage errors 4

5. Administrative data research  Evaluating survey data quality  e.g. 2001 UK Census Link Study  assess and develop methods to adjust for non- response and measurement error bias  Policy-focused research  evaluation of interventions  observational research of social and environmental influences  studies of inequity and inequality  Governance, legal, ethical and public policy aspects of linking and analysing government administrative data 5

6. Administrative data sources  Tax records (UK)  Tax credit claimants dataset  Benefit data (UK)  Child Benefit dataset  Educational attainment records  National Pupil Database  Northern Ireland School Census  Pupils in Scotland Census  Welsh Pupil Level Annual School Census and Pupil Attainment dataset  High Education Statistical Agency student record dataset

7. Administrative data sources  Health records  Hospital Episode Statistics data (England)  Northern Ireland Hospital Statistics  Scottish Morbidity Database  GP Patient Register dataset (England & Wales)  Official Statistics (England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland)  Mortality/Death records  Birth records  The Censuses

8. Administrative Data Task Force  Aim: of improving access to and linkage between government admin data for research and policy purposes  R1: An Administrative Data Research Centre (ADRC) should be established in each of the four countries in the UK  R2: Legislation should be enacted to facilitate research access to administrative data and to allow data linkage between departments to take place more efficiently  R3: A single UK-wide researcher accreditation process, built on best national and international practice, should be established 8

9. Administrative Data Task Force  R4: A strategy for engaging with the public should be instituted  R5: Sufficient funds should be put in place to support improved research access to and linkage between administrative data  The Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) awarded the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) £64m for a Big Data Initiative  Phase 1 (£34m, Oct 2013 start) Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN) 9

10. Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN)  Four Administrative Data Research Centres (one in each country of the UK)  And an Administrative Data Service (ADS) – coordinates ADRN, central point of entry for researcher, key role in public engagement, outreach, policies and procedures, website  Each ADRC is a partnership between academic institution(s) and national statistical organisations 10

11. About ADRC-E  Led by the University of Southampton and run in collaboration with  University College London  The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine  The Institute for Fiscal Studies  The Office for National Statistics  Director: Peter Smith (UoS)  Deputy Directors: Dave Martin (UoS), Ruth Gilbert (UCL) and Lucy Vickers (ONS)  Assistant Director (Operations): Emma White (UoS) 11

12. The other parts of ADRN  ADRN Governing Board – UKSA – Chair: David Hand  ADS – Essex, Manchester, Oxford – Director: Melanie Wright  ADRC Northern Ireland – Queen’s Belfast, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency – Director: Dermot O’Reilly  ADRC Scotland – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow Herriot-Watt, St. Andrews, Stirling, Scottish Government – Director: Chris Dibben  ADRC Wales – Swansea, Cardiff, Welsh Government – Director: David Ford 12

13. ADRCs  Provide state-of-the-art facilities for research access to de-identified administrative data by accredited researchers  Provide data management and statistical analysis support functions for external researchers accessing the data  Conduct original research using linked administrative data and related analytical and methodological approaches  Engage in training, capacity building, and public engagement  Work in collaboration with other elements of the Administrative Data Research Network

14. How does it work?  Researchers (from academia, government or independent research organisations) approach ADS  Project approval and approval of data supply (brokered by ADS)  Researchers become accredited to use ADRN facilities  Data from suppliers linked by trusted party (e.g. ONS)  Access to linked de-identified data granted within appropriate secure setting for analysis  All outputs vetted and approved  Data destroyed, documentation and code retained  Plain English summaries of research published 14

15. What is an ADRN project? Each project must:  be purely non-commercial research  be feasible, viable, ethical and have a clear potential public benefit  make a case for using administrative data to carry out the research  have an economic or social science focused in nature, and therefore would come under the remit of the Economic and Social Research Council  not be research which a government department or agency would carry out as part of its normal operations  make its results public through ADRN website 15

16. ADRC-E infrastructure  Secure research laboratories in Southampton and London for the analysis of de-identified linked administrative data  Access to the Office for National Statistics Virtual Microdata Laboratory  Remote access to secure servers at Southampton  Staff to support researchers using ADRC-E facilities  A team of academics providing advice and leading coordinated research programmes  Programme of user outreach and training on the use of administrative data 16

17. Contacting us  ADRN  adrn.ac.uk adrn.ac.uk  help@adrn.ac.uk help@adrn.ac.uk  01206 87 3435  ADRC-E  adrn.ac.uk/about/research-centre-england adrn.ac.uk/about/research-centre-england  adrce@soton.ac.uk adrce@soton.ac.uk  @ADRC_E 17