Ministers set to unveil data reform bill in Queen’s Speech
Ministers are preparing to unveil a new data reform bill to allow the UK to split from EU privacy laws, according to reports.
The government will unveil the data reform bill plans in the Queen’s Speech next week in a bid to show it has delivered a “Brexit dividend” ahead of the next general election, Sky News first reported.
But industry representatives told Sky the reforms could potentially cost the economy more than they deliver if done improperly..
Businesses are said to fear that if the reforms do not allow the UK to deviate far enough from the EU, they will not deliver a boost but may also lose firms “data adequacy status”, which could mean they are slapped with higher compliance costs when dealing with the EU.
The bill is reportedly part of a wider package of reforms set to be unveiled by government this summer which includes scrapping cookie consent banners, despite these being enshrined in UK regulations rather than the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation rules (GDPR).
Government consulted with industry on potential reforms to data regulation and industry body techUK has called for ministers to retain the “fundamental principles” GDPR, which would all changes to the laws but would not jeopardise firms’s data adequacy.
Neil Ross, associate director for policy at techUK, said: “Developing a clearer, more trusted and innovation-enabling data governance system is one of the most obvious opportunities of Brexit.”