Economic and Social Research Council
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ESRC appoints new Advisory Board for the ADRN

The ESRC will set up a new Advisory Board to provide oversight of the ADRN during the remainder of its current investment period, as well as advising on the longer term future of the ESRC’s investment in administrative data research.

As was recommended in the Administrative Data Taskforce report, the Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN) Board is currently hosted by the UK Statistics Authority(UKSA) and provides independent strategic guidance to the ESRC and assurance to Parliament (and the public) through the Board of the UKSA about the achievement of the Network’s core aim to facilitate linkage of routinely collected data for research purposes.

The UK Statistics Authority and the ESRC have reviewed the governance structure of the ADRN in light of the changing legislative environment created by the Digital Economy Act, which received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017. Parliament has decided that under the Digital Economy Act the UK Statistics Authority will be responsible for the accreditation of processors, researchers and research projects in respect of sharing administrative data for research purposes. The horizon opened up by the Digital Economy Act involves the UKSA accrediting a wide range of organisations, which go well beyond the current scope of the ADRN.

Consequently, the UKSA and the ESRC have decided that it is appropriate that the UKSA steps away from its role in the governance of the ADRN to take on this wider leadership role as Parliament has determined.

The ESRC will set up a new Advisory Board which will provide oversight of the ADRN during the remainder of the current investment period (the ADRN is funded until September 2018). It will also advise on the longer term future of the ESRC’s investment in administrative data research and consider whether changes are needed within the Network to increase the acquisition of data needed for research.

The new Advisory Board will be in place by the summer and will be chaired by ESRC Council member, Professor Melinda Mills of the University of Oxford.

Professor Jane Elliott, Chief Executive of the ESRC, said: "We would like to thank Professor David Hand, Chair of the ADRN, for his leadership and all the Board members for their considerable contribution to the ADRN over the last three and half years. They have provided the ESRC with recommendations about how the ADRN needs to be restructured to enable the Network to be placed on a more effective footing, played an active role and shown a huge commitment to making the ADRN a success, engaging senior stakeholders, making recommendations for managing resources and data collection and also identified new ways in which the work of the Centres and Network could be strengthened to ensure a strategic response to data acquisition and re-use of data. 

"We are delighted that the Digital Economy Act has now come into being, as this will help the UK use data for research purposes more effectively, safely and securely. The ADRN is well placed to play an important role in supporting the government and the UKSA to get the most from the new legislation and the Advisory Board will be fundamental in guiding the ADRN to do just that."

 

Channel website: http://www.esrc.ac.uk

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