Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Conclusion 5
Fifth Report - Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base
Published 24 May 2024
Paragraph 45
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
It is time for Government to do what it promised to do seven years ago, and to join up the UK’s evidence base. Given that the Cabinet Office’s existing initiatives for improving data sharing are self-evidently insufficient, it should in partnership with the Office for National Statistics develop a comprehensive new programme aimed at improving data-sharing for statistical and research purposes. The programme must clearly define deliverables and timelines, and must be owned by a senior responsible officer at an appropriately high level. In line with the recommendations of the Lievesley report, we also recommend that HM Treasury establish mechanisms so that the costs are not borne by individual Departments, but rather centrally. The Cabinet Office should prepare and publish an annual progress report on delivery against the programme.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Fifth Report - Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base (HC 197), paragraph 45, 24 May 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 6 March 2025 (deadline 24 July 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government accepts some of the Committee's recommendations addressed to it, rejects others, and notes two on funding, while referring the remaining recommendations to the UK Statistics Authority.
- On a new data-sharing programme (recommendation 1), the Government "rejects the Committee's recommendation", saying it is "developing a more comprehensive approach", including a National Data Library, with funding implications "considered in the round" at Spending Review 2025.
- It rejects the recommendation to publish evidence and data underpinning major policy announcements (recommendation 14), stating that such decisions lie with departments, which weigh transparency against factors such as public safety and commercial sensitivity.
- It accepts the recommendation to review health and social care data in the Digital Economy Act 2017, saying it will implement this "by the end of 2025", and states it has "now implemented" the recommendation on training communications staff in Intelligent Transparency.
- On future funding of the analysis function and the Office for Statistics Regulation (recommendations 10 and 12), the Government "notes" them, and HM Treasury "will consider all UKSA funding arrangements as part of Spending Review 2025".