The U.K.'s data reform package is nearing its final form and will likely reach completion later this spring, according to U.K. Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms Chris Bryant.
Speaking on the keynote stage at the IAPP Data Protection Intensive: UK in London, Bryant said the bill is in its "final straights" and noted the House of Commons committee overseeing the bill planned to set aside five days to work through it but instead only needed two.
"We'll finish this bill by Easter or a couple weeks after," Bryant added.
With passage out of committee, the bill is now in the House of Commons' report stage as of 12 March.
"The single most important thing for us is to improve trust in the use of data," Bryant said, noting the legislation empowers the Information Commissioner's Office to increase trust.
Since its introduction to U.K. Parliament last October, the Data Use and Access Bill underwent a number of amendments in the House of Lords, which passed the bill last month. The House of Commons has since moved away from those amendments.
After the current report stage, the bill will undergo a third reading before reaching final stages, with an additional consideration of amendments and then Royal Assent.
The latest reform package is the U.K.'s third attempt at modernizing data use and privacy protection after the proposed Data Protection and Digital Information Bill failed to pass prior to last July's national elections.
In the wake of last year's influential Draghi report, which stated that the EU's regulation of technology may be stymying European competitiveness, and a call on Europe by U.S. Vice President JD Vance last month to take a lighter touch on tech regulation, Bryant said that one of the key aspects of the U.K. "is our respect for the rule of law." Whether it's talking to the Chinese regarding laws on the ocean, the Russians on laws against aggression, or regarding laws on privacy and data protection, the U.K. could be in a unique position in global affairs to act as an intermediary.
"It's important for us to maintain relations with the EU," he said, adding that he's hopeful the bill will meet the EU's adequacy requirements and that the bloc will start its comitology soon. The current EU-U.K. adequacy agreement term ends 27 June.
Bryant also indicated that regulation of AI may not fully fall on the ICO. "Who would police AI? That decision has yet to be made," though he said Information Commissioner John Edwards, "isn't keen on policing AI" broadly.
In his own DPI: UK keynote address, Edwards said Bryant did not want to place responsibility for regulating intellectual property on the ICO, for example, but, Edwards said, "we are here for where personal information is involved." The ICO published a list of its work on AI, including creating a code of practice for AI and automated decision-making.
In reflecting on the keynote addresses by Bryant, IBM AI Ethics Market Strategy Lead John Bowman, AIGP, CIPP/E, CIPM, FIP, said all clues indicate that there is agreement on the reform bill. He highlighted Bryant's mention of the U.K.'s history supporting the rule of law, placing it in a unique position to act as an intermediary between different legal systems and perhaps bridge between the EU and U.S.
Bowman also pointed out that the U.K. is the third-largest market for AI technology, and that Bryant hinted Parliament could be looking at AI legislation in the next 18 months.
Bates Wells Partner and Head of Data Privacy Eleonor Duhs, CIPP/E, said she finds it "surprising how quickly this has gone through." Though she did not think the bill would be an issue for EU adequacy, she has concerns around a future Court of Justice of the EU ruling if it faces a legal challenge.
Allen & Overy Special Advisor Steve Wood, who formerly worked for the ICO, said the bill "is significantly streamlined" and the incoming Labour government "removed some of controversial aspects" from the previous U.K. reform package, including mandating the ICO follow the priorities of the Secretary of State, among others.
Both Duhs and Wood agreed automated decision-making in recruitment is a growing issue and that it will be helpful to have a code of practice from the ICO in the near future.
Jedidiah Bracy is the editorial director for the IAPP.
