Transparency data

MHCLG: Annual statement of compliance with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, 2024-25

Published 27 May 2025

Introductory statement and summary of actions 

This statement recaps on the processes we already have in place (which were set out in our earlier statements) and also sets out the additional the steps and actions taken by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) during the period 2024-25 with the aim of meeting the principles of the Research Integrity Concordat (RIC) and embedding them in internal processes and guidance.  

1. MHCLG has an active programme of data and evidence gathering, analysis, research, and evaluation underway to underpin our key policy areas. During the reporting period for this statement, we have produced key documents which provide transparent statements of our research priorities and also we have built on earlier documents which outline our approach to evaluation.  

2. In March 2025, we published a refreshed Areas of Research Interest document, which, like our earlier ARI document set out our strong commitment to having robust evidence in place to enable the department to continue to deliver on its wide-ranging priorities.   

3. As noted in our earlier integrity statement, in November 2022 we published our first evaluation strategy. This sets out our commitment to undertake and learn from evaluation activity across all our policy areas. It outlines evaluation activity that is already underway and future plans. Delivery against this plan has been very strong, and a wide range of evaluation activity is now underway, and a number of evaluations and also further evaluation strategy documents have been published, including for example work on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We have been working closely with the Evaluation Task Force, and the new evaluation registry includes evaluation work by this department and is the most up to date source of information on evaluation. In the forthcoming year we will consider the need for a refresh of our overarching evaluation strategy document.   

4. In January 2023, MHCLG introduced a new policy to publish a list of the department’s research project’s commissioned since January 2023 onwards, where the work is commissioned externally or where costs exceed £12,000 (unless a specific exemption applies). An updated list of commissions is pending.   

5. Our analysts work within the professional standards and protocols set by the Analysis Function and Profession. Particularly relevant are protocols for statistics, and Government Social Research (GSR) protocols for research, including ethics and GSR publication requirements.   

Governance  

6. Accountability for research integrity is shared by Richard Prager, the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA); Stephen Aldridge, the Chief Analyst and Director of the Central Hub for Analysis, Statistics and Evaluation; and Tom Smith the Director for AI in MHCLG.  

7. Any queries on matters of research integrity arrangements in MHCLG can be addressed to the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser at MHCLG: PSChiefScientificAdviser@communities.gov.uk.

Processes to support culture of research integrity  

8. Overall, our assessment is that our processes are in line with the principles set out by the Concordat to Support Research Integrity  when conducting and commissioning research and we are committed to the key principles in the Concordat.  

9. The publication of the updated ARI in March 2025 continues to open up an ongoing dialogue with a wide range of academics and other stakeholders. It is a transparent statement of our priorities and ways of working.  

10. The evaluation strategy outlines how we prioritise planned evaluation work and we will be reviewing this document in the forthcoming year. As noted above, we also list all our evaluation activity on the ETF’s evaluation registry, which provides a transparent process for demonstrating our evaluation activity and making our evaluation outputs more accessible.   

11. We have maintained and enhanced a quarterly Monitoring and Evaluation Steering group, which includes internal analysts, policy makers, and external stakeholders. This group has a wide remit which includes helping to develop and drive high standards of policy and programme evaluation across all policy areas and major areas of spend. It ensures we are prioritising our resources when it comes to evaluation and provides a forum for sharing best practice in evaluation. We will consider the ongoing role of this group, linked to further ways on engaging policy colleagues and analysts with evaluation activity across the department.   

12. Significant new requests for research (costing over £12,000) are approved by our internal Research Gateway Team and the lead minister. The MHCLG Research Gateway is a panel of experts, chaired by the Chief Analyst, which includes senior analysts from each of the analytical professions and representatives from the Chief Scientific Adviser’s office, commercial, digital, data protection, cyber security and central finance teams. The panel assesses proposals to ascertain whether they have necessary approvals, appropriately robust methodology and follow the relevant ethical procedures. The Research Gateway panel ask for regular progress updates, feedback on interim findings and act as a further quality check on final reports. This has been strengthened during this reporting period.  

13. In addition, individual projects have their own bespoke governance arrangements, which are tailored to the needs and remit of each project. These can include external stakeholders and external academics working in a peer review capacity. We also consider the need for external peer review of outputs on a case-by-case basis.   

Guidance for researchers, employers and commissioners of research  

14. As noted above, we follow the main GSR guidelines in relation to the issues outlined above, particularly around ethics, research conduct and publication requirements.  

15. We have an internal process document in place and templates to explain the research gateway process, and our research gateway secretariat team provide guidance and support to staff working on new bids. We follow Cabinet Office guidance in relation to fieldwork and national and local election periods.   

16. We ensure that all research projects involving the use of personal data are compliant with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Researchers are required to consider data protection principles from the outset of project design, including identifying a lawful basis for data use, data minimisation, and ensuring transparency with data subjects where appropriate.  

17. Our department uses Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to assess and mitigate risks to personal data in research, particularly where data is sensitive or large-scale. We are rolling out a digital DPIA tool (Dapian) alongside enhancements to our internal risk management system to better track and manage information risks across research activities.  

18. Guidance is available to researchers on topics such as lawful basis for processing, use of special category data, anonymisation, and secure data handling. Our anonymisation standards are aligned with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance and the GSR Data Ethics Framework, ensuring that personal data is only used where necessary and that robust safeguards are in place to prevent re-identification.  

19. To further support researchers, we are currently developing a Research Handbook that will provide detailed, practical guidance on data protection issues, including anonymisation and pseudonymisation. This is supported by our Research Gateway Secretariat team and Information Assurance colleagues, who provide advice throughout the project lifecycle.  

Training and awareness raising  

20. We have a strong culture of learning and development for all analysts in MHCLG, and we encourage staff to take up appropriate training, which can include professional skills development, training on different aspects of research conduct and ethics. We have provided material outlining learning opportunities for analysts on the MHCLG learning hub. We also offer a bursary scheme for Masters Training and are engaged with various early careers schemes including apprenticeships and one year student placements. A number of our staff are now trained to deliver Evaluation Academy Training (which is led by the Evaluation Task Force) and we have run 4 successful training sessions within the department, including induction training.   

21. The CSA’s office aid in developing the science capability skills of staff through delivering science seminars, in which academics share their research on a topic relevant to the department. We communicate opportunities, events, resources and tools through a regular CSA newsletter and hold resources on our public SharePoint, which also directs staff to the GSE profession framework. 

External engagement  

22. MHCLG has a strong culture of engagement with external organisations on our research and analysis. This includes a strong policy focus, as well as research principles in line with the research integrity guidelines. For example, we bring in academics and other organisations such as the What Works Centres to sit on our project boards and provide peer review on outputs.  

23. We also organise knowledge sharing events such as academic round tables, and for academics to present at our regular internal seminar series.   

24. We are engaged with cross Whitehall GSR groups where issues connected to research integrity may be on the agenda e.g. on ethics or incentives. 

25. We also have provided a range of letters of support to various academic research projects aiming to use data in innovative ways to support MHCLG’s policy objectives.  

Open Science and research protocols  

26. Underpinning data for projects are, where possible, made available. The department has arrangements with UK Data Archive and ONS Integrated Data Service to archive anonymised data for research contracts where appropriate. 

27. As noted above, we outline plans for evaluation on the new Evaluation Registry 

Publication of research  

28. We adhere to the cross-government protocol that government research should be made publicly available, normally within 12 weeks from agreeing the final report, unless there is a reason publication is not possible. Reasons could include; security or national security considerations or restrictions, commercial confidentiality, on-going investigations or criminal proceedings, or where the law protects confidential advice to ministers. There may also be restrictions due to data-sharing limitations or constraints associated with sharing it securely. 

29. To improve transparency, MHCLG introduced a new policy to publish a list of externally commissioned research and where the cost exceeds £12,000 unless a specific exemption applies. 

30. As noted above, our evaluations are also listed on the new evaluation registry.    

Research misconduct  

31. There were no cases of research misconduct in relation to research conducted or commissioned by MHCLG during financial year 2024-25. Any issues with research would be raised with the CSA and Chief Analyst first and if the issues relate to an external contractor with our procurement colleagues. Depending on the nature of issues, there could also be further investigation and handled through MHCLG’s disciplinary processes, whistleblowing guidance and the Civil Service Code as appropriate.