PROGRAMME 1

UNLOCKING THE VALUE OF DATA FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT

This programme aims to unlock the value of Scotland’s public sector personal data to drive innovation in our economy and public services. The Scottish public sector has rich data sets that, if made available in trustworthy, ethical ways, can create opportunities for researchers and the private sector to use this data for public benefit. 

Research Data Scotland 

The establishment of Research Data Scotland (RDS) at the end of 2021 was a major step towards overcoming existing barriers to using data for innovation and research. RDS is a charity currently owned by Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, and led by Prof. Roger Halliday, CEO and formerly SG Chief Statistician. It provides leadership to organisations across Scotland who support data access for research. RDS owns and is responsible for the processes for research data access used by data controllers, trusted research environments and researchers.  It is responsible for commissioning the provision the national data infrastructure for those doing data-driven research to operate in, including for ADR Scotland. This includes: 

• the secure computing environment to hold and make data available to researchers 

• the service to researchers to advise on the available data for projects  

• a service to make data available in the secure environment  

The Scottish Government has committed £25m over 5 years to RDS so that it can transform the system for data access for research to make it simpler and quicker. This will be a user-informed transformation, and ADR Scotland (as a key service user) will play an important role in advising.  

By bringing together all service delivery partners under one single administration, we will ensure more transparency and accountability as to how data is managed and accessed in Scotland, whilst maintaining public confidence in the appropriate use of data. 

Unlocking the value of data for public benefit 

Beyond research, despite rigorous information governance processes being in place to ensure the legal processing of data, data controllers have cited significant anxiety regarding the release of public sector personal data for use with or by the private sector. The clear message from stakeholders is that there is a need for guidance in this area, and that in order to realise the economic and social value of public sector personal data for Scotland, it is necessary to develop two outputs: 

• a policy statement 

• a framework and guidance for public sector data controllers and public bodies 

In order to do this, we have convened an Independent Expert Group (IEG), and appointed a chair. The first IEG meeting will take place on 30 March 2022. Under the direction of the IEG, we will develop these two outputs to enable lawful, ethical and confident decision-making on public sector personal data access, or release for use by or with the private sector. The work will be informed initially by three commissioned literature reviews, two of which have been completed. 

At a fundamental level, securing the support and participation of the public, ensuring ethics is foregrounded, and that citizens’ privacy is protected, are essential prerequisites for this programme. The use of Scotland’s public sector personal data must be trustworthy as well as legally compliant. Therefore this programme of work will be led by public engagement. The first IEG meeting will be designing a ‘call for evidence’ by virtue of public and stakeholder feedback as well as a subsequent programme of sustained, meaningful and empowered public engagement.