Thank you to everyone who got in touch to raise concerns about the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which passed its remaining stages in the House of Commons on May 7th.
Most of the concerns were around an amendment called New Clause 21, which was tabled by Conservative MP Ben Spencer (Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology). If passed, this amendment would have forced public bodies (like the NHS, DVLA, Passport Office, and schools) to store and process data based on sex assigned at birth — even when a person has legally transitioned.
I agree that this would have resulted in a rollback of rights for transgender, non-binary and intersex people. It would have undermined the Gender Recognition Act, threatened the privacy and safety of individuals, and violated principles protected by the Equality Act, the Human Rights Act, and GDPR. I can appreciate that people were even more worried by this is the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling.
I am pleased to confirm that the Government did not support this amendment and it therefore did not pass.
I know that there are also concerns around artificial intelligence and copyright in relation to this Bill. The Government has consulted on this issue and is considering the 11,500+ responses it has received before it decides on next steps.
I welcome that in the meantime it has used the opportunity of this Bill to commit to publishing a full economic impact assessment of the options set out in the consultation on AI and copyright and reporting on fully on key areas of concern. I am pleased it has taken this step so we can work to promote AI innovation while ensuring those in the creative industries are also able to flourish.