Recommendation 12

Government does not always see data as a priority and data quality is often inadequate.36 The NAO reported in 2019 that the quality and sharing of data is a clear example of a neglected and poorly planned activity, and there is a culture of tolerating and working around poor-quality data.37 We have drawn attention to poor data and a lack of joined up systems in numerous reports over the years, recently including for example, on supporting the vulnerable during lockdown, on tackling the tax gap, on effective regulation of gambling, on dealing with rough sleepers, and on identifying and tackling fraud and error.38 We also reported in 2019 on how it had become normal to work around poor-quality disorganised data across government and made several recommendations for improvement.39