Special Licence (SL) datasets are anonymised but contain more detailed information than End User Licence (EUL) data. All SL datasets require users to complete a set of forms
to provide further details, including the intended use of the data.
Users will be directed to the relevant forms during the ordering process.
The completed forms are sent to the data depositor for approval, and permission has to be received before access to the data is granted. Users are advised
to check the access information in the relevant catalogue record as some SL datasets are only available to UK applicants.
Users who obtain access to SL data are required to read and follow the advice in the document
Microdata Handling and
Security: Guide to Good Practice. This includes additional guidance on avoiding inadvertent statistical
disclosure, storing and accessing data securely, and how to permanently destroy copies of the data.
Users who require access to ONS SL data must be accredited by the UK Statistics Authority as an Approved Researcher, in accordance with the Statistics
and Registration Service Act 2007. Access to ONS SL data is only available to UK applicants for non-commercial purposes.
To apply for accreditation:
- create an online order by adding the required dataset(s) to a registered usage via an ESDS account
- within the registered usage, click the 'Request permission' and 'Accept special condition' links for the required datasets. An email will then be sent containing a link to the special
licence form, and an order submitted. (The special condition text will also be displayed on the screen; click 'I accept' to continue)
- complete the form, providing evidence of previous research projects and publications, information about the intended use of the data and the purpose of the research
- sign a declaration to acknowledge that you understand the confidentiality obligations, including physical security, owed to those data
- return the completed form to the Help desk.
The following SL datasets require completion of the Approved Researcher forms:
The Approved Researcher form is available for information. Please register and place an order for the data, as detailed above, before sending
the completed form to the Help desk.
Other depositors use their own Special Licence forms for the datasets listed below. A link to the relevant form will be provided during the ordering process.
To apply for access to the above data:
- create an online order by adding the required dataset(s) to a registered usage via an ESDS account
- within the registered usage, click the 'Request permission' and 'Accept special condition' links for the required datasets. An email will then be sent containing a link to the special
licence form, and an order submitted. (The special condition text will also be displayed on the screen; click 'I accept' to continue)
- complete the form, providing information about the intended use of the data and the purpose of the research
- sign and return the completed form to the Help desk.
History of the Special Licence
It was recognised that some researchers needed access to more detailed data. To facilitate this,
and to increase the range of data available for statistical research, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in
collaboration with the UK Data Archive and ESDS Government, developed a Special Licence (SL) to provide access to
social survey datasets that were detailed, yet anonymised. The original SL was launched in September 2005.
The coming into force of the Statistics and Registration Service Act in April 2008 brought an end to the original SL
arrangements. Access to ONS SL data continues but under a new legal framework set out in the Act. From April 2008,
any registered user requiring ONS SL data has to be accredited by the UK Statistics Authority as an Approved Researcher.
ONS intends to deposit all social survey datasets in a form suitable for use under the current EUL, but does not intend
to review the status of datasets deposited before June 2005 and currently available under the EUL.
This does not rule out the possibility of additions to the collection of SL versions of these earlier datasets in the future.
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