Independent Expert Group for the Unlocking the Value of Data Programme report: SG response

Ministerial Foreword

I am pleased to present our response to the report by the Independent Expert Group for the Unlocking the Value of Data programme.

Firstly, I wish to thank Professor Angela Daly and the Independent Expert Group members for their personal commitment to this important, complex and evolving agenda, to which they have brought expertise, focus and insight.

We commissioned this work in order to assess how we can unlock the value of Scotland’s public sector personal datasets in ethical, secure and transparent ways to realise significant potential benefits, whilst maintaining the highest data protection standards.

As we know, personal data can play a vital role in transforming our services, with improved outcomes for our citizens. But if the value of this asset is to be fully realised – to benefit the whole of our society - it needs to be more accessible for ethical use by Scotland’s innovators and researchers from the public, private and third sectors.

While robust guardrails protect citizens’ data security in Scotland, our ambitions go beyond compliance with existing legal requirements. We aim to foster creative cross-sector collaboration to determine the best models and methods for the ethical use of data, anchored in public trust.

We will inspire this trust by empowering citizens to participate in decision-making about data, and by being open, inclusive and transparent about why, and for what purpose, personal data is being used, and the safeguards protecting this data. Public engagement, aligning with Open Government principles, is therefore central to shaping the direction of this programme.

We will not fulfil our ambitions without taking a holistic approach to data use and data sharing. This programme of work, therefore, has to be viewed in the context of the drive by the Scottish Government and our partners to making (non-personal) data open where possible, improving data discovery and infrastructure, promoting better use and reuse of data, and encouraging the adoption of common data standards across Scotland’s public sector.

The issues and challenges raised by this report are common to governments around the world. Despite rigorous legal safeguards, information governance and data protection polices, this is a complex area to navigate for data controllers who manage personal data. We need to establish common ground rules that support them, enabling this data to be accessed and harnessed for public good.

There is a compelling case for co-creating the playbook for ethical data use for Scotland. As we build our expertise and capabilities in this area, we will continue to draw on evidence, engagement and international best practice as it evolves. This will ensure that in Scotland, innovation and ethics go hand in hand, with opportunities to unlock the value of public sector data for all.

Richard Lochhead Minister for Business