Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential timeframe for the UK to reach a data adequacy agreement with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

As provided for in the General Data Protection Regulation and Law Enforcement Directive, the European Commission can adopt adequacy decisions in respect of the UK to allow the continued free flow of personal data from the EU to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

The Commission has not yet indicated a timetable for this, but the UK has made it clear we are ready to begin discussions on an adequacy assessment now. The UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 strengthened UK standards in line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, providing a unique starting point for an extensive agreement on the exchange of personal data that builds on the existing adequacy framework.