The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 19 December 2023. A number of issues were raised, including, amongst others, the failure to address AI (as an interesting aside, a private members bill has been proposed on the matter), issues with the provisions around legitimate interest and the ability of the Secretary of State to make changes without oversight, concerns about EU adequacy and concerns relating to children’s data.
The bill has recently attracted attention in relation to the Government’s proposed amendments to grant powers to inspect bank accounts of those receiving the state pension and other benefits, in order to tackle fraud. There has been strong criticism of this move both in the press and in the Lords. The Government has also been accused of altering electoral practices to enable the use of information for political reasons.
the bill will now move on to committee stage. The full text of the bill in its current form can be found here.
