Delivering administrative data research at scale: ADR England and the role of ONS

As ADR UK enters a new phase, with a refreshed brand and long‑term investment confirmed by UK Research & Innovation, attention is turning to how administrative data research is delivered in practice. Bill South, Co‑Director of ADR England and Deputy Director of Research Services and Data Access division at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), discusses the partnership between ADR England and the ONS, and the role of the Secure Research Service (SRS) in supporting this work.

What role does the ONS play in delivering ADR England?

The ONS is ADR England’s primary delivery partner for data access. Through the ONS SRS, we provide the infrastructure, governance and specialist capability that enable accredited researchers to work with linked administrative data.

This partnership provides the delivery foundation for ADR England, bringing together cross‑government data and ONS‑led infrastructure to support research for the public good.

Why is the Secure Research Service so central to this partnership?

The SRS provides a controlled setting where accredited researchers can access de‑identified data, including datasets with England‑only and UK‑wide coverage. As the UK’s largest trusted research environment, it provides the ideal environment through which ADR England research can be delivered.

ONS have run a service to provide secure access to the microdata from its surveys for over 20 years. The partnership with ADR UK in recent years has allowed us to expand our data offer to include linked administrative data from multiple government departments.

What does this delivery model enable?

Many ADR England projects require data from different parts of government to be brought together securely and consistently. The combination of trusted infrastructure and clear governance makes this possible.

By operating the SRS, ONS enables data owners to make data available for research and enables researchers to carry out analysis using complex, linked datasets that would be difficult to access outside a trusted research environment.

Can you give an example of the kinds of datasets that are being made available?

The partnership between ADR England and ONS has supported several nationally important datasets, including Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) and Education and Child Health Insights from Linked Data (ECHILD).

More recently, the Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) has been made available for secure access via the SRS, further expanding the range of linked administrative data available for ADR England research.

How does the wider ADR UK partnership fit into this?

ONS has worked in partnership with ADR UK since 2018, with funding supporting both the operation and development of the SRS.

A new investment period, running from April 2026 to March 2031, is now underway. This long‑term partnership has enabled the expansion of administrative and linked datasets available for research, alongside continued improvements to the service itself.

What does joint leadership mean for delivery?

ADR England and ONS operate a joint leadership and governance model. As  Co‑Director of ADR England alongside Dr Emma Gordon, my role is to help ensure close alignment between research priorities and the infrastructure and services that support delivery.

That alignment supports effective delivery now, while continuing to extend what can be achieved through administrative data research.

Explore the ADR England programme and find out more about the role of ONS in enabling secure access to administrative data for research.