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UK Statistics AuthorityPublicationsNational Statistician’s Data Ethics Advisory Committee minutes: 3 March 2026

National Statistician’s Data Ethics Advisory Committee minutes: 3 March 2026

Published
10 June 2026
Last updated on
10 June 2026
Produced by

Attendees

Members 

  • Helen Boaden (Chair)
  • Ray Harris
  • Stephen John
  • Dr Rochelle Tractenberg
  • Vanessa Cuthill

Secretariat

  • Eloise Ball
  • Wilfred Thorne
  • Nicola Shearman
  • Heather Bryant

Other attendees

  • Jess Bloomfield (item 2)
  • Orlaith Fraser (item 2)
  • Paul Boyle (item 3)

Apologies

  • Dr Orla McBride
  • Dr Sarah Markham

Minutes

1. Minutes and matters arising from the previous meeting

  1. The Chair greeted all members to the meeting.
  2. Minutes from the 2 December 2025 meeting were approved.

2. SMS Reminders in Census 2027 Test (NSDEC(26)11)

  1. The Chair introduced the item on SMS reminders, emphasising that the purpose of the discussion was to surface any early‑stage concerns, with particular attention to the ethical nature of SMS‑based engagement.
  2. Jess Bloomfield and Orlaith Fraser presented the proposal for the introduction of SMS reminders within the 2027 Census Test. The test covers 220,000 households across England and Wales and focuses on assessing elements that may inform the 2031 Census design.
  3. The committee noted several ethical considerations arising from SMS based contact initiatives, with discussion centred around the communication and operational implications of introducing SMS, particularly the challenges posed by declining engagement with postal services, reduced willingness to answer the door to field officers, and the need to modernise census interactions in line with wider government digital practices.
  4. The research team emphasised that SMS messages would be non‑personalised, bilingual for Welsh addresses, and include an opt‑out option. They also noted ongoing work with data suppliers and ONS security teams to ensure legal and ethical compliance, including tele matching processes and the development of a DPIA.
  5. The Committee sought assurances regarding potential impacts on vulnerable people, including those who may possess hidden phones or who could be unsettled by unexpected messages. The team explained that such numbers were unlikely to be captured through official datasets used for tele matching.
  6. Members also discussed representation across the devolved nations. ONS and NRS plan to take an aligned approach to tele matching and SMS deployment, while NISRA is progressing its own decisions on the Northern Ireland test. All three organisations remain committed to a coordinated UK‑wide model for 2031.
  7. Post‑test, the team will undertake detailed analysis of the split‑sample design to understand the effect of SMS reminders, including interactions with field follow‑up and response patterns across demographic groups. Members highlighted the importance of accounting for bias in tele matched samples. Evidence from Statistics Canada was discussed, where SMS interventions delivered notable increases in response rates with minimal public complaints.
  8. The Committee commended the clarity and thoroughness of the proposal and welcomed the strong analytical and ethical foundations outlined. Members noted the value of the test in informing a data‑driven decision for the 2031 Census and encouraged continued attention to vulnerable populations, proportionality, and communication planning.

Action:

Secretariat to send the full list of observations and comments from Orla McBride to the presenting team (ONS Census team).

3. Guest Speaker: Paul Boyle, Chair of Research Accreditation Panel (RAP)

  1. Paul Boyle, Chair of the Research Accreditation Panel (RAP), was welcomed to the Committee and provided an overview of RAP’s statutory role under the Digital Economy Act 2017, and the Panel’s remit in accrediting researchers, Trusted Research Environments (TREs), and research projects seeking access to de‑identified government data for research undertaken in the public good.
  2. Discussion centred around the end-to-end researcher journey, including the efficiency of the Research Accreditation processes and the substantial reduction in project turnaround times achieved through increased use of precedent-based assessments and improved triaging between Secretariat and the Panel.
  3. The Committee discussed the scope of RAP’s oversight and the limitations arising from the exclusion of most health data from the Digital Economy Act. Paul Boyle confirmed that RAP are working with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) to explore potential legislative change that would bring health data formally within scope and to better align social science and health data governance practices.
  4. Paul Boyle also outlined RAP’s work with the UKSA on the development of programme level accreditation to support broader research themes rather than requiring repeated project applications, while maintaining appropriate controls and ethical oversight.
  5. The committee raised questions around ethics training and the varying adequacy of university level ethics processes for data-intensive research. Paul Boyle acknowledged the limitations of traditional human-subject ethics models and emphasised RAP’s role in supporting the application of the Five Safes framework and the importance of proportionate ethical scrutiny that avoids burdensome duplication while ensuring rigorous standards.
  6. The Committee noted shared challenges between RAP and NSDEC regarding public trust and the balance between individual privacy and collective societal benefit. Members also recognised opportunities for greater collaboration, including a potential reciprocal arrangement whereby NSDEC representatives attend future RAP workshops and RAP provides annual updates to the Committee.

Action:

Nicola Shearman to share UKSA’s recently published RAP five-year strategic blog with the Secretariat for circulation to members.

Action:

Secretariat to explore opportunities for ongoing reciprocal engagement between NSDEC and RAP.

4. Confluence walkthrough and Q&A

  1. The chair introduced the session by noting recent issues with member engagement on the new Confluence system. Initial feedback highlighted that the transition from email‑based correspondence to Confluence had reduced the immediacy of member engagement. Members noted that the absence of automatic prompts indicating when peers had commented may have contributed to a lower response rate since rollout.
  2. Eloise Ball demonstrated key features of the system, including how to navigate project folders, open application documents in various formats, and use the comments section to contribute to reviews.
  3. The committee raised questions about the long‑term accessibility of completed projects within the system. Eloise confirmed that the NSDEC Confluence space is restricted to Committee members and Secretariat staff, but the Secretariat will explore options for archiving or locking closed items as the repository grows.
  4. The Committee recognised the value of Confluence in supporting continuity of oversight, particularly where projects return to NSDEC over multiple phases. Members felt that the ability to revisit previous comments within a consolidated workspace was likely to become increasingly beneficial as the volume of cases grows.

Action:

Secretariat to prepare and circulate a written guide, including screenshots, outlining steps for accessing the platform and configuring notification preferences.

Action:

Secretariat to review options for archiving or restricting editing on completed project pages.

Action:

Secretariat to resolve individual access issues for members requiring support.

5. Any other business

  1. The committee sought clarification on plans for a potential in‑person meeting later in the year. The Chair confirmed that no plans had yet been made for an in‑person session and reiterated that any such meeting would take place later in the year, with substantial advance notice to support members’ arrangements.
  2. Wilfred Thorne provided an internal update regarding senior leadership changes within the UK Statistics Authority. In the absence of a National Statistician, the Committee is currently reporting into Mary Gregory and James Benford. The Chair welcomed this, observing that both individuals bring strong expertise to the role during a challenging interim period.
  3. Nicola Shearman updated the Committee on the recruitment process for the new National Statistician, confirming that interviews had been rescheduled to early March due to panel availability. In line with standard appointment processes, an announcement is expected within four weeks following the interviews.
  4. The Chair noted that recruitment for additional lay members to join the Committee will also be progressed in due course.
  5. The next meeting will be Tuesday 2nd June 2026.