1. Data Access and the Administrative Data Research Network David J
Data Access and the Administrative Data Research Network David J. Hand Imperial College, London and Winton Group
Meeting on Cross-national research data: access, legality, ethics, and opportunities 19 December 2016 Royal Statistical Society

2. • The Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN)
• Origins and aims
• Successes
• Difficulties
• Potential solutions

3. ORIGINS AND AIMS Administrative Data TaskForce reported 2012:
“Access to [national administrative data] and the use of such data for research purposes in the UK has been difficult…”
Recommendation 1: An Administrative Data Research Centre (ADRC) should be established in each of the four countries in the UK
[ so intrinsically cross-national in one sense]
“These will be responsible for commissioning and undertaking linkage of data from different government departments and making the linked data available for analysis…”
Fundamental aim is to facilitate public policy and social science research

4. TaskForce recommendations:
1) An Administrative Data Research Centre (ADRC) in each country of the UK
2) An independent Governing Board to provide strategic guidance and assurance
3) UK wide researcher training and accreditation process
4) A strategy for engaging with the public
5) Generic legal gateways to access data
6) Sufficient resources to provide for state-of-the art and safe facilities

5. Which awarded five separate five-year grants To establish
Capital funding provided to Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Which awarded five separate five-year grants
To establish
(1) an Administrative Data Research Centre in each of the four UK countries
[Each centre collaborates with several universities and their National Statistical Institute]
(2) an Administrative Data Service
Also: a Governing Board, reporting to the UK Statistics Authority, and advising the ESRC
[The UKSA is an independent body, which reports directly to Parliament]

6. Role of the Administrative Data Service:
To help researchers prepare their projects for assessment by the Approvals Panel
To process all applications and provide project support
To train researchers to use administrative data safely, legally and responsibly
To negotiate with data custodians, such as government departments and agencies, for access to administrative data
And coordinate Network policies and protocols, advise the Network on legal and regulatory matters, coordinate the Network’s communications and public engagement, assure data security, inform the public about the social benefits of this type of research

7. SUCCESSES (August 2016)
- The four ADRCs and the ADS established; secure rooms
Researcher training (150+ researchers trained)
Researcher accreditation programme in place
[64 accredited researchers, 32 from academia, 24 from gov, 8 from the third sector]
- Project approvals panel in place
- Large number of project applications (c.100)
- Good monitoring procedure to track times of projects
[can identify where the bottlenecks are]
- Success in projects from the devolved administrations
- Good public engagement and communication programme

8. DIFFICULTIES (1) Getting data from central government departments
concerns about security?
resource issues?
releases may lead to questions about their policies
Successful from devolved administrations because (?):
smaller constituencies
personal relationships
projects often initiated by the government bodies

9. (2) The network structure
coordination issues

10. (3) Uncertain and changing legislative environment
TaskForce Recommendation 2: Legislation should be enacted to facilitate research access to administrative data and to allow data linkage between departments to take place more efficiently
Enacting legislation is a slow and uncertain process
With conflicting players

11. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT? Main challenges were strategic, not technical
Offer resources to collate data
Provide assurance about data security
Importance of personal links
Need a unique network director
Need someone experienced at interacting with government departments (“data negotiator”)

12. OTHER POINTS Access for commercial organisations
[Doing contracted analysis]
Delicacy of many not-precisely-aligned interests
Importance of good case studies
Demonstrate value for money
Demonstrate value added
Data retention
Legislation
Brexit ?