Cimes

Contact

Name of the microdata access service

Office for National Statistics - ONS

Postal address

Customer Contact Centre - Room 1.101, Government Buildings - Cardiff Road - Newport , South Wales, NP10 8XG (United Kingdom)

Contact

General information: info@statistics.gov.uk - Access to data team: access2data@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Microdata access website

http://www.ons.gov.uk

Microdata access conditions

General conditions

Data can be accessed for research, teaching and analysis purposes.

Conditions for non-resident researchers

Same as for national researchers.

Conditions for students

Same as for confirmed researchers, if working under the supervision of a tutor.

Legal framework

Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
Data Protection Act 1998
Freedom of Information Act 2000

How to apply & modes of access

Public Use Files

A growing number of files are made available from the website of ONS.

Scientific Use Files

Highly anonymised files are available from the UK Data Service (UKDS) acting as agent for ONS. Registration is required and the user must sign an End User Licence. The data can be used only for research, teaching, or personal educational development.
More detailed data are also available from UKDS. Registration is required and the user must sign an End User Licence or, in cases in which data are more detailed or more sensitive, Special Conditions or even a Special License. Some data files are only accessible to users affiliated to institutions belonging to the UK Access Management Federation.

Secure Use Files

Available in onsite and remote secure environments from both ONS (through its Virtual Microdata Laboratory, VML) and to some extent UKDS (formerly SDS, Secure Data Service; now Secure Lab). Users must: i) apply to become an ONS-Approved or (for UKDS) an ESRC- Accredited Researcher; ii) complete a User Agreement, and iii) attend training.
ONS and other partners are currently setting up four Administrative Data Research Centres for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These centres aim to develop new linked data collections from administrative sources, provide access to them, make sure they are used safely and effectively, and develop research capacity. The England centre is expected to open in autumn 2014.

Details & practical information

How long does it take to obtain data?

Public and scientific use files: access is immediate.
Approved researcher status: about 2 weeks

How much does it cost?

Access is free of charge. There is a fee only for commissioned tables, where they are requested.

Information on access

At ONS, general information: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/index.html
Data files made public after being prepared for a request: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-inf...
Information on how to become an approved Researcher: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-inf...
Information on VML: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-inf...
At UKDS, general information on data use : http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/use-data.aspx
At UKDS, Secure Lab: http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/how-to-access/accesssecurelab.aspx

Other

Statistics and Registration Service Act of 2007: http://www.adrn.ac.uk/protecting-data/legal/officialstat
Personal Data Protection Act of 1998: http://www.adrn.ac.uk/protecting-data/legal/dpa
Freedom of Information act 2000: http://www.adrn.ac.uk/protecting-data/legal/foi
Administrative data research centres : http://www.adrn.ac.uk/centres

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)

General Lifestyle Survey (GLS)

Health Survey for England (HSE)