The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (the Bill) has dropped out of the news since the government’s controversial late additions prior to the passage of the Bill to the House of Lords (concerning, in the main, powers to access information on those receiving state pension/other benefits (to tackle fraud) and changes to data processing in relation to democratic engagement).
The Lords conducted a 1st and 2nd reading of the Bill in December 2023 and there was then a considerable pause in proceedings until 20 March 2024 when the Committee Stage commenced. There have been three days of spirited debate so far and six further dates are scheduled, ending on 6 May 2024.
It seems likely discussions will continue after the Committee Stage and issues will be revisited at the next stage (the Report Stage), which is a further opportunity to examine the Bill and make changes. If there are amendments made, these will have to go to the House of Commons for consideration. Bills can sometimes “ping pong” back and forth between the houses to agree amendments. There have certainly been some strong objections raised so far, so it will be interesting to see which of these issues are pressed in the Report Stage.
If you need any assistance in considering how the Bill will affect your business, our team would be happy to help. You can get in touch here.
