The UK Data Service administers a number of processes which are more or less analogous to the Approved Researcher status, and it was important that these different administrative processes remain as harmonised as possible. The ONS were able to ask this explicitly. Question 17 on the AR criteria being promoted as the default access mechanism for all relevant iran rcs data bodies which give access to legally protected data, was agreed with by around 70% of the respondents, giving a clear steer to other relevant bodies.
This was one of the few recent consultations relating to data access which the Data Service hasn’t actually responded to formally, but we did publicise the consultation on our website, and of the users of the Secure Lab were informed about it. We can’t say the extent to which we influenced people to participate, but the list of respondents suggests that we may have helped. This activity is one small example of how the UK Data Service works with others to make more data available to more researchers, while protecting the privacy of survey respondents. The results of the consultation are encouraging for this part of our mission, and we’ll wait to see to the outcome of the recommendations which this group has passed to the National Statistics Executive Group.