I wanted to update you on a speech made today (Wednesday 5th October 2022) by the new minister Michelle Donelan for the DCMS, I have included a link to it below. Amongst other matters she made reference to the future of UK data protection law. As you may know, the data protection and digital information bill has been delayed on its journey through the Commons; we suspected this was because of the appointment of the new PM and the new minister. In the speech, the minister suggests that the reform bill may be changed to include abolishing the GDPR which as the bill stands would be retained (Recording time – 40 minutes 37 seconds). This could be a major shift away from the EU regime we have mostly abided by since Brexit. However, the minister does reference our ‘EU adequacy’ which would suggest that whatever changes are being considered would not endanger our relationship with the EU and ensure we remain in step with them. It seems this statement, the original consultation and the current bill are in conflict with one another. One other very interesting statement (Recording time 49 minutes) refers to the UK being ‘the bridge across the Atlantic’ which is most likely a reference to a deal with the US to enable data transfers. The danger here would be that any such deal will threaten the UK-EU relationship as the US is not adequate and the UK could become a backdoor to data flows from the EU though the UK and onward to the US.
I will continue to monitor the situation and any changes to the reform bill and either myself or my colleagues will ensure you are kept up to speed. If you have any concerns please get in touch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNfyNfzR65k
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter please do not hesitate to contact us at info@hope-may.com or on 0330 111 0013.
Mark Burnett CEO & Founder
