Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the collection and analysis of data by government and public bodies.
It said it will look at how civil servants make the most of the mass of data available in decision and policy making, and at opportunities for reform of the current system.
This comes in response to the massive growth in the number of data sources, and proposals from the Office of National Statistics on the future of population statistics.
The inquiry will also take in the relevant ethical issues.
Making sense of numbers
Chair of the committee William Wragg MP said: “The data landscape, both inside and outside government, has changed dramatically in recent years, with sources multiplying exponentially. In this data deluge, how can Governments make sense of the numbers and improve the lives of the general public?
“The inquiry we’re launching today will question how statisticians and analysts can draw meaningful conclusions for Government from the mass of data we generate every day.
“There are already a range of innovative projects underway across Government, ranging from the use of shipping data to enhance evidence on trade flows, to the potential of anonymised and aggregated phone data to improve travel statistics.
“We will explore both the opportunities and the dangers presented by new data sources, questioning how demands for evidence are changing, what it means to use data ethically, and whether existing privacy protections are sufficient.”
