Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the differences in (1) the remit, and (2) the membership, of NHS England’s Advisory Group on Data and the Department of Health and Social Care's National Data Advisory Group.

The Advisory Group for Data (AGD) is convened by NHS England and builds on the previous work by the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD). Currently operating in interim form, it includes the members of IGARD, alongside a representative of the Caldicott Guardian of NHS England, the Data Protection Officer, and senior staff supporting on Data and Analytics.

It provides NHS England with access to expert advice and assurance on internal and external access to data in relation to the exercise of NHS England’s functions transferred to it from NHS Digital, including on specific requests for the dissemination of information in accordance with the statutory guidance issued by my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Its minutes are published on the NHS England website.

The National Data Advisory Group (NDAG) is convened by the Department to provide strategic policy advice on data and data sharing, including the implementation of Data Saves Lives, the data strategy. It does not advise on specific data sharing requests and has a different membership to the ADG. NDAG includes, among others, the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care, the Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Chief Executive of the Patient’s Association.