Transparency data

Statement on confidentiality and data security

Published 27 August 2026

We will ensure that the official statistics we publish do not reveal the identity of any individuals or any private information about them.

Private information that we collect for producing official statistics is confidential and we use it for statistical purposes only. All data is collected, stored and used within legal requirements such as the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018)(DPA).

We seek advice from the Home Office’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) as needed to ensure compliance with data protection obligations.

For more information on Home Office’s general approach to handling personal data, see our Personal information charter.

Compliance with Code of Practice for Statistics

The Home Office is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the data it receives, stores, processes and disseminates. The Home Office complies with the Code of Practice for Statistics, which outlines the responsibilities of statistical producers in relation to confidentiality. This is covered under the principle of Trustworthiness, in particular the standard of “Manage data responsibly”:

Manage data responsibly

Producers must manage data and statistics safely and securely and be open about how data will be used and protected – so that the public can be confident about providing their own information for official statistics.

A more detailed guide on this standard is provided by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) at Manage Data Responsibly.

Data held by Home Office

The Home Office, collects, processes and analyses a range of data covering all of the department’s priorities. The data is provided to the Home Office for research and statistical purposes. Additionally, some of the data is used operationally by the police forces, other law enforcement agencies and immigration services.

Individuals have the right to know how, and for what purpose the data is being collected, held and used. The processing must have a lawful basis which, in this case, is that the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest to meet a function of the Crown, a minister of the Crown or a government department. We publish privacy notices to explain how the Home Office uses personal data provided.

We collect data directly from the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police (BTP). This includes crime data on notifiable offences, and policing data on workforce and work of the forces. For immigration data, this is sourced from casework systems.

Across the range of data sources collected, there are personal data elements, such as location or name of an individual. Some of the data is protected characteristics, and particularly sensitive, such as ethnicity. All the data collected is treated in accordance with data protection requirements and guidelines.

Data is submitted via a combination of direct record level data transfers and aggregate data returns. Data is submitted via a secure online file sharing service, or extracted directly from systems. Additional spreadsheet collections are submitted via secure e-mail connections.

Storing data securely

Data is stored in secure databases. Access to these databases is controlled and restricted to analytical staff in the Home Office, and where required HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Additionally, Home Office IT staff and contractors responsible for managing the IT systems have access to the databases for maintenance purposes only.

Personal data collected will be held for research and statistical purposes, to build up a long-term data series. The retention period is provided in the relevant topic and data privacy notice. Data which is no longer needed will be destroyed in a safe manner.

Using personal data

The majority of data received is aggregated and used for statistical and research publications. We quality assure all data prior to publication to ensure that individuals cannot be identified in the outputs. Where necessary, disclosure control methods will be applied to ensure individuals cannot be identified.

We follow cross-government guidance on anonymisation and data confidentiality, including Anonymisation and data confidentiality and Disclosure control for tables produced from administrative sources.

Sharing personal data

We share information collected with Office for National Statistics (ONS), other government departments, police forces, other law enforcement agencies and academics. Data is shared by statistical teams for research and statistical purposes. Prior to any data share taking place, a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is completed to ensure that privacy is considered at the early stages of planning and that a ‘data protection by design’ approach is adopted. Once a DPIA is completed and approved, data sharing agreements are put in place for personal data, to ensure the data share complies with data privacy legislation – these clearly identify the responsibilities of participants.

For more information on how we look after your information please see the Personal information charter (PIC) for the Home Office. This PIC includes details on the legislation under which we hold and process your personal information and the organisations with whom we may share data.

The PIC covers in the information management strategy, which includes the management of information to balance making information available to the public and protecting data, including in response to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests. Sometimes data is made publicly available through an FoI response, though this is done in line with legislative requirements.