Paul Jackson joined HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) as Head of Data Access in February 2021. 

Prior to joining the HMCTS, Paul was deputy to the Director of ADR UK, leading on research, communications and impact. He spent the latter half of 2020 as Head of Information Governance at the Joint Biosecurity Centre (part of the NHS Test and Trace service with the Department of Health and Social Care).

Paul has also been Head of Legal and International Relations at the UK Statistics Authority, and was the first Chief Executive of the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) in Bergen, Norway.

“Every public service creates data which, when used in the right way, can improve their services and lead to better lives for citizens. ADR UK ensures that when those data are used for research there is respect for the data subjects and positive support for stakeholders.

“The Judiciary has shown its support for the work of ADR UK by advising HMCTS and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that data about the Courts and their users can be linked, anonymised and used for research to further our understanding of the justice system. The ADR UK-funded ‘Data First’ programme at MoJ is now having a transformative effect on justice research.

“The infrastructure for secure research built with ADR UK investment when the sun was shining has proved its worth during the Covid-19 crisis. When the Joint Biosecurity Centre was established, it needed a secure setting for the preparation and research use of sensitive Test and Trace data. The Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service provided a superb solution, fully accredited and driven by skilled people, ready to serve at high capacity just when the country needed it most.

“The framework of the Digital Economy Act, ADR UK investment in infrastructure and targeted pathfinder projects, accredited data centres in each UK nation, structured public engagement, and a focus on serving the public good, ensures every pubic sector organisation has the opportunity to improve their public services and to improve lives.”