Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Policy Decisions: Use of Data

Thursday 23 September 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The national data strategy aims to transform the Government's use of data for policy decisions.
  • The Health and Care Bill aims to facilitate UK-wide comparable and interoperable data for health and social care.
  • The Minister declined to publish polling information on Scottish independence, citing fiscal support and Scottish Government powers as relevant topics.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Marco Longhi
Context

The question arises from a need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government policies through better use of data.

Question

What steps is the Government taking to improve its use of data to inform policy decisions?

Answer from Steve Barclay

The national data strategy sets out a vision to transform the Government's use of data. The declaration on government reform, published in June, further committed to data being central to decision making, and the new Central Digital and Data Office is implementing common data standards and data-sharing frameworks to underpin better use of data in policy making.

Answered
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Q2 James Davies Con
NHS
Context

The question stems from the recognition that during the pandemic, comparable data in the NHS significantly improved policy decisions and patient outcomes.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Health and Care Bill needs to help facilitate UK-wide comparable and interoperable data?

Answer from Steve Barclay

My hon. Friend brings a welcome clinical focus, and he is absolutely right on the importance of data and interoperability. He will know that the data strategy for health and social care—Data Saves Lives—along with the Health and Care Bill, which he mentioned, seeks to improve data sharing across the health system for the reasons that he rightly highlights.

Answered
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Q3 David Linden SNP
Scotland
Context

The question is prompted by concerns about the transparency of government spending and research into public attitudes towards the Union in Scotland.

Question

Why will the Minister not publish polling information that suggests support for Scottish independence is up, given that it is funded by taxpayers?

Answer from Steve Barclay

I would have thought that, when talking about data, we would have been talking about the fiscal support that has been offered to Scotland, about the way in which the Scottish Government's powers have not been used and about how we can get better delivery from the Scottish Government in areas such as education and drugs policy, where the data are absolutely chronic at the moment. I would hope that the Scottish Government will welcome the data strategy, as it will ensure that policy making is informed by good quality data and focused on good outcomes.

Not addressed: The specific request for polling information was not addressed; instead, unrelated issues were highlighted.

How: Changing The Subject To Fiscal Support, Highlighting Issues With Scottish Government'S Use Of Powers

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