Business and the Third Sector
There are a few administrative datasets held by organisations that reflect business activity and the Third Sector in the UK. These datasets have the potential to be a comprehensive resource for research.
The major dataset covering business activities is the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). This is held by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and covers 99% of all economic activity in the UK. It includes data on business size, activity, and turnover. Information is compiled from HMRC, Companies House and ONS records. Companies House incorporate and dissolve companies and as such holds detailed information about the companies activity in the UK through the register that they hold.
Other business related data include bankruptcy petitions presented to the Court which is compiled by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). However, the scope of this dataset for research purposes is very limited at present as the MOJ are only able to collect basic information from the court administration systems.
The Charity Commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. The Charity Commission maintains a public Register of Charities which provides comprehensive information about 180,000 registered charities including income and expenditure detail and areas of operation.
Business and the Third Sector administrative data summary
| Dataset | Organisation name | Key variables | Information available on ADLS website? |
| Charity Commission Register | Charity Commission | Charity details, operation, client group, area, employee numbers, income and expenditure | Yes. Please click here for detailed information. |
| Citizens Advice administrative dataset | Citizens Advice | Client profile, category and type of problem, advice type, contact type and outcomes (for around 7% of clients) | Yes. Please click here for detailed information. |
| Inter-Departmental Business Register | Office for National Statistics | Business size, turnover, legal status, employee information | Yes. Please click here for detailed information. |
| Companies Registration activities | Companies House | Company incorporation’s, removals, name change, share capital, prosecutions | Not yet available |
| Company winding up and bankruptcy petition statistics | Ministry for Justice | Numbers of company winding up, creditors bankruptcy, debtors bankruptcy petitions | Not yet available |
The ADLS will add new information and datasets to the Business theme section over time. Please keep checking back and you may also wish to receive notification by registering with us for these information updates.
