Research Data Scotland (RDS) is to develop a common operational framework for access to public sector data.
The Scottish Government Digital Directorate has announced the plan as one of the responses to a report by an independent expert group on the Unlocking the Value of Data (UVOD) programme, which was launched in 2022 with the aim of freeing up the use of public sector personal data for public benefit.
RDS, a charity connecting researchers to public sector data, will begin the work by developing a framework for accessing de-identified case level public sector data for research purposes, either by or with a private sector organisation.
This is expected to involve a series of pilots and to inform future policy iteration and implementation. It will build on the Five Safes framework for researchers to safely and securely access data and reflect international best practice.
Accessible and ethical
Writing in the Scottish Government’s response to the report, Minister for Business Richard Lochhead said: “As we know, personal data can play a vital role in transforming our services, with improved outcomes for our citizens. But if the value of this asset is to be fully realised – to benefit the whole of our society - it needs to be more accessible for ethical use by Scotland’s innovators and researchers from the public, private and third sectors.
“While robust guardrails protect citizens’ data security in Scotland, our ambitions go beyond compliance with existing legal requirements. We aim to foster creative cross-sector collaboration to determine the best models and methods for the ethical use of data, anchored in public trust.”
