UK Government Introduces New Data (Use And Access) Bill

Overview

On October 23, the UK Government's House of Lords had its first reading of a new proposed data protection bill, the Data (Use and Access) Bill ("DUA Bill"), as sponsored by the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology ("DSIT"). If passed, the DUA Bill will replace the current UK Data Protection Act 2018 which incorporates the UK version of EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (the "UK GDPR"). Although the DUA Bill is in the early stages of the UK legislative process with further readings and reporting stages, the DUA Bill carries on the UK government's ambition to restructure its data protection regime and aim of "harnessing the power of data for economic growth, supporting a modern digital government, and improving people's lives"¹ as already alluded to in the King's Speech in July 2024.