Summary

In 2023, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) reviewed the data sharing and linkage landscape across government and made 16 recommendations to enable greater data sharing and linkage for research and statistics for the public good. This follow-up report assesses the progress that has been made towards those recommendations. It is relevant for all who want to see good-quality and secure data at the forefront of government decision-making and research.

Despite welcome pockets of innovation, there continues to be a failure to deliver on data sharing and linkage across government, alongside many persisting barriers to progress. Linking datasets for research, statistics and evaluation – both across government and among external researchers – is not yet the norm in the UK statistical system. To make this a reality, stronger commitments to prioritise data sharing and linkage are required. Such commitments further need to be endorsed and sustainably resourced by senior political and Civil Service leadership.

The formation of a new government in the UK offers the opportunity for renewed energy behind a cross-government, long-term strategy to ensure effective data sharing and linkage for the public good. This report outlines some of the actionable steps that can be taken towards that ambition and highlights examples of good practice in data sharing, access and linkage over the last year.