COVID-19: Permitted non-ONS datasets and changes to SecureLab

The additional application measures agreed with data owners to facilitate access to special licence and SecureLab data outside of institutional environments, have been renegotiated with data owners. Many data owners have agreed that these previously temporary arrangements can become permanent. This change has been agreed upon on the condition that the additional measures – Compulsory application process – introduced to mitigate the additional risks from working outside an institutional environment, remain in place.

Note: if you plan to apply to access ONS and non-ONS secure data collections, you must apply to access ONS data first.

For Accredited Researchers to access the non-ONS data listed below, you must:

1. Evidence you meet the compulsory criteria to access Secure Lab under ‘normal’ working conditions.
2. Complete and return the additional Secure Access agreement: COVID-19 temporary home working (Non-ONS data).
3. If you want to access ONS secure data as well, you must apply for ONS secure data before applying for non-ONS access.
4. You will then be permitted to use your organisationally/institutionally approved method of remotely accessing your organisational/institutional office computer, at the location specified in your application, and using only the IP address we have on record.

Please note any additional restrictions required by data owners carefully, as set out in the table below. Use of data from home not listed below will constitute a breach of the agreement. List updated 2 May 2023.

List updated 12 December 2024.

For these studies continuing working from home access will be periodically reviewed by the data owners.