Safety digest 02/2026: Cambridge Junction
RAIB safety digest covering an overspeed incident at Cambridge Junction, Hertfordshire on 11 December 2025, outlining causal factors and safety recommendations to prevent recurrence.
Government research
Evaluations, survey work, qualitative studies and impact assessments commissioned by UK government departments — separated out from the news, and attributed to the agency that carried out the work.
By agency
Ipsos61Verian54IFF Research34NatCen31Frontier Economics24YouGov22Traverse16Shared Intelligence14Alma Economics14ICF13Ecorys12London Economics11RAND Europe10SQW8Behavioural Insights Team7Basis Social7Technopolis6Savanta6Hatch6BMG Research6Winning Moves5Thinks Insight5Pye Tait3Revealing Reality2Public First2Cordis Bright2Wavehill1OMB Research1DJS Research1Community Research1CFE Research1Belmana1
By method
Market Value Survey: 2024
Market Value Survey 2024 links house values to dwelling and household characteristics, providing updated estimates of how factors such as property attributes and household makeup affect market value.
Evaluation of the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund and the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund
Early‑stage evaluation of the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund and its successor, the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, examining initial delivery, outputs and early indicators of impact for UK life‑sciences manufacturing.
Serious Violence Reduction Orders independent evaluation report
Independent evaluation of the Serious Violence Reduction Orders pilot across four police forces reviews SVRO design, delivery and early outcomes to assess effectiveness in reducing serious violence and implementation challenges.
RPC opinion: fire and rehire protections options assessment
The Regulatory Policy Committee publishes its opinion on the government's options assessment underpinning a proposed Employment Rights Act 2025 measure to protect workers from 'fire and rehire', judging whether the consultation's evidence and analysis meet regulatory standards.
Service Modernisation Customer Experience Survey
Survey analysis of customer experiences as Department for Work and Pensions services are modernised, tracking how perceptions and interactions change and identifying user-reported barriers and benefits from digital and service redesign.
Local news provision and local public service performance
Alma Economics assesses how local news provision supports local government performance, examining the role of local journalism in accountability, information flows and public engagement with local public services and decision-making.
Violence Reduction Units year ending March 2025 evaluation report
Sixth-year Home Office evaluation of Violence Reduction Units presents findings on VRU activities, funding outcomes and effectiveness in violence prevention, highlighting impacts, challenges and lessons from nationwide VRU delivery to March 2025.
Smart metering roll-out: evaluation
An evaluation of Great Britain's smart meter roll-out assesses deployment progress, consumer experiences, installation challenges and the programme's effectiveness in delivering anticipated benefits for households and energy systems.
Public understanding of vehicle automation terms
Study examines public understanding of terms used to describe vehicle automation and driver-assistance features, identifying which phrases confuse consumers and how terminology affects perceptions of capability and safety.
The health of people in prison, on probation and in the secure NHS estate in England
The Chief Medical Officer reviews health among people in prison, on probation and in the secure NHS estate in England, noting good practice, risks and recommending actions to improve health outcomes for these populations.
Evaluation of the National Digital Support Service
Evaluation of the National Digital Support Service explores how the NDSS worked for users receiving support and for delivery partners, assessing accessibility, service delivery, outcomes and areas for improvement in digital assistance.
Prison Service Pay Review Body pay comparator review
Identifies pay comparators for prison service roles and presents pay comparisons between those roles and external benchmarks to inform the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s recommendations on pay relativities and recruitment/retention pressures.
Behavioural Insights for Health Transformation Programme Service Design: Project Summaries 2022 to 2025
Summarises small-scale behavioural insight studies (2022–25) used to inform early service design for the Health Transformation Programme, reporting exploratory findings on user behaviour, nudges and design options for transformed services.
Health Transformation Programme Evaluation and Monitoring Strategy 2026
Sets out planned evaluation and monitoring arrangements for the Health Transformation Programme in 2026, summarising objectives, proposed indicators, governance and approaches to assess programme delivery and impacts.
Age Assurance Data Access Study
Explores data access barriers affecting age-assurance tools’ performance, diagnosing technical and governance issues and proposing potential solutions to improve effectiveness and reliability of online age checks.
Electronic invoicing: SME usage and attitudes
Reports on SMEs’ awareness, use and attitudes towards electronic invoicing, mapping adoption levels, perceived benefits and barriers among small and medium enterprises to inform policy on digitalisation of invoicing.
Impact of Penalty Reform on VAT Registered Businesses
Surveys 1,202 VAT-registered businesses about the new points-based late submission system and revised late-payment penalties, reporting awareness, perceived fairness and intended behavioural responses to the penalty reforms.
Opinion on the responsible sourcing of fur
Provides the Animal Welfare Committee’s view on welfare implications of farming and wild-capture for fur, assessing practices, welfare risks and considerations for responsible sourcing policies.
Research examining customers’ experiences of DWP’s complaints process
Presents findings from qualitative interviews with DWP customers about their experiences of the department’s complaints process, highlighting pain points, communication issues and suggestions for improving accessibility and resolution timelines.
Safeguarding responses to county lines and youth violence
Evaluates how multi‑agency safeguarding partnerships across England identify, assess and respond to serious youth violence and county lines exploitation, identifying strengths and gaps in local protective arrangements and inter‑agency coordination.
Demolition and redevelopment or retrofit: research report
Examines how national planning policy and guidance shapes decisions to demolish, redevelop or retrofit buildings, analysing the policy levers, decision criteria and implications for sustainability and heritage considerations.
Measuring the legacy and impact of major events: case studies
Presents four case studies examining methods for measuring the legacy and impact of major events, testing indicators and analytic approaches to assess social, economic and cultural outcomes over time.
FCDO Official Development Assistance programme allocations 2026–2027 to 2028–2029: equality impact assessment
Assesses equality impacts of the FCDO’s proposed Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2026–27 to 2028–29, identifying potential effects on protected groups and recommending mitigations.
Product safety and industry: Wave 3
Independent research exploring industry perspectives on product safety, likely covering business practices, regulatory compliance and barriers to improving safety standards across sectors.
Lessons learnt from best value interventions 2025
Draws lessons from recent statutory and non‑statutory best value interventions, summarising effective approaches, pitfalls and recommendations for improving local authority performance oversight.
DBT areas of research interest
Sets out Department for Business and Trade’s areas of research interest, specifying themes where the department invites external evidence to inform policy development and priorities.
Low Pay Commission Report 2025
Presents the Low Pay Commission’s evidence and analysis that underpinned its recommendations for National Minimum and Living Wage rates from April 2026, including labour market and employer impact assessment.
The role of local media in communities affected by the summer riots
Behavioural Insights Team analysed over 30,000 news articles published in July–August 2024 to examine how local media covered and influenced communities affected by the summer riots, identifying patterns in reporting and community impact across publications.
Capturing engagement numbers - methodology toolkit
A methodological toolkit setting out approaches for capturing engagement numbers at unticketed sporting and cultural events, providing guidance on data sources, measurement techniques and practical steps for consistent counting and reporting.