Requesting Data

Anyone may ask the Data Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network for data held by a department or network service of the Network that has not been published in the open data catalogue. The request service opened on 6 September 2026 and is the single route for such requests: the Office receives every request, identifies the body that controls the data, and coordinates the response so that requesters do not need to know in advance which department holds what.

The Office's starting position is that data held by the Network should be published unless there is a reason recorded in the register of data holdings why it cannot be. Where a request results in the release of data, the Office publishes that data in the catalogue wherever practicable so that it is available to everyone, not only to the person who asked.

Types of request. Requests fall into four types, each handled in the same way but under different terms of release.

Request for unpublished data

A request for data recorded in the register of data holdings, or believed to be held by a department or network service, that has not been published in the catalogue. The Office establishes whether the data can be released and, where it can, publishes it or supplies it to the requester.

Request for an extract of a published dataset

A request for a subset, filtered view or combination of datasets already in the catalogue, for a requester without the means to prepare it themselves. Extracts are supplied under the Network Open Data Licence.

Request for personal data about yourself

A request by a member of staff, citizen or other individual for a copy of the personal data held about them by a department or network service. The Office verifies the identity of the requester before coordinating the response with the controlling body.

Request under a data sharing agreement

A request by a department, network service, member organisation or researcher for restricted or record-level personal data for a stated purpose. Such data is released only under a data sharing agreement between the Office, the controlling body and the recipient.

Making a request. The steps below apply to every type of request.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check the catalogue and the register

   Before making a request, check whether the data is already published in the open data catalogue, and consult the register of data holdings to find the controlling body and classification of the data you are seeking. Quoting the register entry speeds up the response.

2. 2

   Step 2: Write to the Office

   Send your request by email to the Office's address, stating your name, the data you are seeking, the period and coverage you need, the format you would prefer and, for a request under a data sharing agreement, the purpose for which the data will be used. There is no form to complete.

3. 3

   Step 3: Acknowledgement

   The Office acknowledges every request by email within two working days, gives it a reference and tells you which unit is handling it. If the request is unclear the Office will ask you to clarify it, and the twenty-day period begins when the clarification is received.

4. 4

   Step 4: Assessment with the controlling body

   The Office identifies the controlling body and, with it, establishes whether the data exists, whether it can be released, whether any part must be withheld or aggregated and whether preparing it will take more than one working day.

5. 5

   Step 5: Response

   The Office answers within twenty working days of receipt. Where data can be released, it is published in the catalogue wherever practicable, and otherwise supplied to you under the appropriate licence or agreement. Where data cannot be released, the Office gives its reasons in writing.

6. 6

   Step 6: Review

   If you are dissatisfied with the response, you may ask within forty working days for it to be reviewed. The review is conducted by an officer not involved in the original decision and is completed within twenty working days.

Timescales and charges. The Office's commitments are set out below. Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and the public holidays of the Network. Where a request is unusually large or complex the Office may extend the response period by up to twenty further working days, and will tell you so before the original period expires.

When data cannot be released. Data is withheld only where its release would identify an individual without their consent, would prejudice security, law enforcement or the conduct of proceedings, would breach a commercial confidence, or where the data does not exist in the form requested and cannot reasonably be produced. Where part of a dataset can be released, the Office releases that part and explains what has been withheld and why.

Reporting. The Office publishes a quarterly report on the requests received, the types into which they fell, the time taken to answer them and the number that resulted in a new dataset being published. The first report, covering the quarter ending 31 December 2026, will be published in January 2027 and announced in the Newsroom.

Requests should be sent to contact@data.gov.vin. For the terms under which released data may be reused, see Licensing and Reuse; for answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.