Guidance

Home Office use of administrative sources for statistical purposes

Updated 24 September 2020

Background

Official statistics published by the Home Office are based on administrative sources where possible, along with data gathered from censuses, surveys and some bespoke data collections.

The UK Statistics Authority actively encourages public bodies to exploit administrative and management sources for statistical purposes rather than collecting data afresh, to limit the overall cost and burden placed on data providers. Details of administrative sources used for statistical purposes by the Home Office are provided in the overview and table below.

Overview

Crime and policing statistics

Administrative data used for the Home Office’s crime and policing statistics are obtained from police forces in England and Wales which is managed as part of a single annual process. This process, the Annual Data Requirement, is a statutory regulation in the Police Act 1996 as amended by the Police and Social Responsibility Act 2011. It sets out that police forces must supply data as agreed by the Home Secretary each year and is overseen by an internal Policing Data Collection Group, chaired by the Chief Statistician. They consider the burden, statistical and public need, and quality of the data and make subsequent recommendations to the Home Secretary each year.

Immigration Statistics

Immigration statistics provide information on the Home Office’s operation of immigration control and related processes and are obtained using data from systems managed by UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force. Additionally, a linked database that combines immigration status data from Home Office systems and travel movements data provided by carriers is used to produce experimental statistics on exit checks. Statisticians are involved in the development of these IT systems.

Fire statistics

Data from the fire and rescue incidents database (the Incident Recording System, IRS) are a hybrid of administrative data populated from Fire and Rescue Services’ (FRS) control systems, and data items entered by the officer in charge at an incident. Data on workforce, pensions, safety and prevention are collected from FRSs annually by Home Office Statisticians. The national IRS dataset and processes are held on a server controlled by the Fire Statistics Team. All sub national statistics and requests for access to record level data are reviewed for disclosure risk, both for whether there is a risk of identifying the location of an incident (e.g. location/address of a property) or by other identifying information, and whether there is any risk that information might then be deduced or matched to other datasets, with particular focus on information about any individual or household.

Animal experiments

Data on animal experiments are obtained via an administrative data collection carried out jointly by statisticians and those responsible for licensing processes and inspections. This collection is underpinned by legislation.

Home Office administrative data sources used in statistical publications

Name of data source: Animal Scientific Procedures ‘Return of Procedures’ annual data collection Name of organisation responsible for systems: Home Office Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Data collection to meet requirements of 1986 Act to collect and publish statistical information on the use of protected animals in regulated procedures, and to lay that information before Parliament; to enable the UK to meet data requirements of EU directive Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals

Name of data source: Homicide Index Name of organisation responsible for systems: Home Office Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Record level dataset of every homicide since 1977. Used for statistical outputs as well as front line usage by police forces, National Crime Agency, College of Policing, NPCC Homicide Working Group, internally in the Home Office and by academia. Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Homicide in England and Wales, Focus on Violent Crime and Sexual Offences (published by ONS). Various academic reports.

Name of data source: Home Office immigration administrative data systems within UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force Name of overarching administrative system (if different) Case Information Database (CID), Home Office Proviso-Central Referencing System (CRS), Trojan, ATLAS Name of organisation responsible for systems: Home Office Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Immigration casework administration and monitoring, support of operational and policy management in the immigration system. Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Immigration Statistics [quarterly]

Statistics on changes in migrants’ visa and leave status, data supplied to Eurostat

Name of data source: Football Banning Order Authority database (part of UK Football Policing Unit) Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Data on banning orders in connection with regulated international and domestic football matches are collected to inform government policy and operational decisions by the police Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Football-related Arrests and Banning Orders (specifically football banning orders)

Name of data source: Police force administrative sources Name of overarching administrative system (if different) Data Hub Name of organisation responsible for systems: 43 individual police forces plus British Transport Police (where applicable) Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting operational and policy management in the criminal justice system Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Crime Outcomes statistics

Office for National Statistics Crime in England and Wales publications

Seizures of Drugs

Firearms and Shotgun Certificates

Police Powers and Procedures

Police Workforce

Hate Crime

Police use of Firearms

Police use of Force

Football-related Arrests and Banning Orders

Name of data source: Fire and rescue services incidents Name of overarching administrative system (if different) Incident recording system (IRS) Name of organisation responsible for systems: 45 individual fire and rescue authorities Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting operational and policy management in the fire and rescue system Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Fire and rescue incident statistics

Detailed analysis of fires attended by fire and rescue services in England

Fire incidents response times

Detailed analysis of non-fire incidents attended by fire and rescue services, England

Name of data source:  Fire and rescue services operational sources Name of organisation responsible for systems: 45 individual fire and rescue authorities Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting operational and policy management in the fire and rescue system Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Fire and rescue workforce and pensions statistics

Fire prevention and protection statistics

Name of data source: Alcohol and Late night refreshment licensing data Name of organisation responsible for systems: 350 licensing authorities Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting Government policy making and associated decisions about related programmes and projects Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Alcohol and late night refreshment licensing

Name of data source:  Data on arrests, sentencing, prisoners in custody, use of powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act Name of organisation responsible for systems: National Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting operational and policy management in the criminal justice system Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Arrests and Outcomes under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation

Name of data source: Tribunals Service data Name of organisation responsible for systems: Ministry of Justice Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Administration of appeal processes Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Immigration Statistics

Name of data source: Defendants proceeded against for offences under Immigration Act Name of organisation responsible for systems: Ministry of Justice Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Supporting operational and policy management in the criminal justice system Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Immigration Statistics

Name of data source:  Exit checks Name of overarching administrative system (if different) ISA system (UK Visas and Immigration administrative system) Name of organisation responsible for systems: Home Office Main administrative purpose of this source/system: Monitoring of UK arrivals and departures, travel histories and passenger movements, including linkage to immigration records Title(s) of statistical products derived from this Source:

Report on statistics being collected under the exit checks programme (experimental statistics)

Quality

Responsibility for the quality of the original administrative data ultimately lies with the data providers. However, Home Office statisticians have a key role in identifying quality issues. Every administrative data source used to publish official statistics is quality assured using methods such as variance checks and reconciliation exercises with other data sources, and Home Office statisticians are closely involved in any changes, or discontinuities, in underlying source data. These assurances are in line with the UK Statistics Authority’s ‘Quality Assurance of Administrative Data’ toolkit. Additionally, specific internal processes exist for improving the quality of Home Office management information data streams. The quality of the data collection and processing systems is reviewed by the UK Statistics Authority via their programme of assessments.

Access to resulting statistical data in its final form is limited to the statistical teams responsible for production of outputs and those identified on published pre-release access lists. The staff in statistical teams are made aware of their responsibilities to protect data as required under the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Further information and contact details

For more information about the application of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics within the Home Office please see:

Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics – Revisions and Corrections Policy

Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics – Release practices

Please contact the responsible statistician named in each publication for details on specific administrative sources. Alternatively, the Chief Statistician for the Home Office can be contacted at:

2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: ChiefStatistician@HomeOffice.gov.uk