National Data Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation Update

Statement

I am pleased to inform the House that the Government is, today, publishing an update on the National Data Strategy which sets out our approach to monitoring and evaluating the strategy. It also launches a 12 week call for evidence on the development of an indicator suite to support implementation of the strategy.

The National Data Strategy was originally published for consultation in September 2020, setting out for the first time the government’s ambitions to unlock the power of data in a single publication. The consultation confirmed that the strategy framework was fit for purpose, and the government published a response to the consultation in May 2021 to confirm that our focus would now turn to implementation.

The monitoring and evaluation update published today sets out in more detail our approach to implementation, including how we will track delivery of government’s interventions, assess their effectiveness, and plan for further interventions in the future.

We are also calling for evidence to develop an indicator suite that will track developments across the data ecosystem. This is the first time such a product has been produced by government for data use in the UK. To tackle this challenge, and in the spirit of collaboration with which the National Data Strategy has been developed to date, we are seeking the widest possible input to inform the indicator suite’s development, to create a product which can be of value to all members of the data ecosystem. We will provide an update on the development of the indicator suite in due course.

More broadly, we will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to implement the National Data Strategy, including working through the National Data Strategy Forum to help shape the development of the future vision for the Strategy.

A copy of this update will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.