The Data (Use and Access) Bill seeks to enable data to be used and accessed to grow the economy, improve public services and make people’s lives easier. It is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 19 November 2024.
Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL] (628 KB , PDF)
The Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL] is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 19 November 2024. The government has said the bill has three core objectives: to grow the economy, improve public services and make people’s lives easier. It would seek to achieve those aims through measures such as:
The bill would deliver on Labour’s manifesto commitment to give coroners more powers to access information held by technology companies after a child’s death. It would make changes to the UK’s data protection legislation, for example by creating a new lawful ground for processing personal data of “recognised legitimate interests” and expanding the lawful base for the use of solely automated decision-making. The bill would change the governance model of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The bill contains many provisions that are similar or identical to ones in the Conservatives’ Data Protection and Digital Information Bill that failed to complete all its stages before the general election. However, some provisions have been removed, including those which would have allowed the government to oversee the ICO’s strategic priorities and make recommendations on ICO codes, and which would have modified the current requirements for data protection officers and keeping records of personal data processing. Labour’s bill contains some new provisions such as a regulation-making power to create a framework allowing researchers access to data relating to online safety held by tech companies.
Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL] (628 KB , PDF)
An estimated 2.3 million people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024. Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs has raised concerns about inconsistent support for victims and survivors and has called for urgent reform. The government has recently announced several policies aimed at enhancing this support, including a pilot of ‘domestic abuse protection notices’ and ‘domestic abuse protection orders’.
Concerns have been raised about the state of the opera sector in England, with much of this focused on the financial pressures it is facing. Some institutions face reductions in Arts Council funding and, taken together with increasing costs, this has led to cuts in performances and concerns about the sector’s future viability. Concerns have also been raised about diversity and equality across opera, including in audiences and the workforce.
The importance of social cohesion and strong communities has often been discussed in the context of international events which have increased tensions between groups in the UK. This briefing examines what is meant by social cohesion, provides an overview of recent reports on social cohesion and communities, and sets out recent government statements on its policies to address concerns about social cohesion.
