Learning research: privacy notice

Onward data sharing

Data sharing must meet legal requirements

On occasion, we may share data on individuals when it is lawful and ethical to do so, and after we have considered the following questions:

• is it in the public interest to share the data?
• are we only sharing the minimum amount of data and for the shortest possible time to meet the request? At no point will we share names, identifiers or contact details with partners, unless this is required for them to carry out the research, e.g. for recruitment or interviewing purposes.
• does the data sharing comply with the law and have we got the right consent, if needed?
• does the organisation asking for the data have sufficient security standards themselves and are they aware of statistical disclosure controls?

Organisations we may share individual-level data with are

• Education Scotland in order for this agency to carry out its functions
• National Registers of Scotland to carry out research relating to the national population census
• Academic institutions and organisations to carry out additional research and statistical analysis which helps inform policy development and contributes to improving outcomes for Scotland’s people. 
• Other Public Bodies who require the data in order to carry out their official functions.
• Contractors who have been appointed by us to carry out research for specific projects

How we meet ethical standards

Any sharing or linkage of data will be done under the strict control of Scottish Government, and will be consistent with our data policy and the National Data Linkage Guiding Principles.  Decisions on the sharing or linkage of data will be taken in consultation with relevant colleagues and individuals within and outwith Scottish Government as part of a Data Access Panel.  At all times the rights of the individual (children or adults) under the GDPR and other relevant legislation will be ensured.