Incoming data protection changes: UK Government charts ‘a New Direction’

On the 17th June 2022, the government published its response to the DCMS consultation “Data: a new direction” and set out which proposals it plans to take forward into the upcoming Data Reform Bill.

From the wide range of reforms proposed to be taken forward, we have picked out the ones likely to be of most interest to businesses.

What next? What does my organisation need to do?

We keenly await the publication of the full text of the Data Reform Bill – the earliest this could take place is later on in the summer and inevitably the legislative process to pass the bill into a law will follow.

It should not be forgotten that the government will not want to cause the UK to lose the benefit of the EU adequacy decision, as that could result in significant barriers to data sharing across the Channel. In practical terms this places limits on how far UK can go in its reforms.

Whilst it is good to remain informed about the government’s proposals for data protection reform, there is nothing specific that organisations need to do at the moment in response to the government’s plans. Organisations that currently comply are likely to be in a good position - so carry on and ensure compliance with the current law. The Burness Paull team is on hand to help.

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