Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL]

Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts

Report stage
Tuesday 21st January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Lab)]

My Lords, I declare an interest that my younger daughter works for a charity which will rely heavily on the amendments that have just been discussed by the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones.

I want to explain that my support for the amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Harding, was not inspired by any quid pro quo for earlier support elsewhere —certainly not. Looking through the information she had provided, and thinking about the issue and what she said in her speech today, it seemed there was an obvious injustice happening. It seemed wrong, in a period when we were trying to support growth, that we cannot see our way through it. It was in that spirit that I suggested we should push on with it and bring it back on Report, and I am very happy to support it.

[Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab)]

I do not want to try the patience of the House at this late hour. I am unhappy about Clause 77 as a whole. Had I had the opportunity, we could have debated it in Committee; unfortunately, I was double-booked, so was unable. Now we are on Report, which does not really provide a platform for discussing the exclusion of the clause.

However, the noble Baroness has provided an opportunity for me to make the point that combining data is the weak point, the point at which we lose control. For that reason, I am unhappy about this amendment. We need to keep high levels of vigilance with regard to the ability to take data from one area and apply it in another, because that is when personal privacy disappears.