Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

A vote to support means

• —Gives individuals explicit rights to know how their data is being used, request access to it, and correct inaccurate information, reducing hidden corporate data practices
• —Enables faster access to anonymised data for medical researchers and NHS analysts to improve treatments and health outcomes without compromising individual privacy
• —Creates clearer rules for businesses about data handling, reducing compliance confusion and giving honest companies competitive advantage over those cutting corners
• —Strengthens enforcement with meaningful penalties for violations, making privacy protections actually enforceable rather than theoretical

A vote to oppose means

• —Places significant compliance burdens and costs on small businesses and charities that lack dedicated data teams, potentially disadvantaging them against large tech companies with extensive resources
• —Data access provisions for researchers and public bodies could risk privacy if anonymisation is inadequate or re-identification becomes possible through data linking
• —Restricts certain legitimate business uses of data (such as targeted advertising or algorithmic decision-making) that some argue drive innovation and free digital services
• —Creates ambiguity about which organisations must comply and how rules apply across different sectors, potentially leading to inconsistent enforcement and legal disputes