Administrative data as a research resource: a selected audit

The term ‘administrative data’ describes information which arises via the operation of a transaction, registration or as a record of service delivery. Such data relates specifically to the administration of a system or process and are not primarily generated as research resources. While administrative data are not necessarily the preserve of government, most government departments keep records of the variety of services they deliver and the processes they register in considerable detail, often storing this information as electronic records that relate to individuals and/or organisations and summarising these data for statistical purposes