Re-focused Data Bill under scrutiny
THE Data Use and Access Bill (DUA) working its way through parlia- ment is a re-jigged version of a Bill originally designed by the Con- servative Government.
The original Conservative Bill was focused on a post-Brexit search for economic advantage – while remaining compliant with GDPR. Under Labour the emphasis has been switched to unlocking “data for the public interest” particularly in law enforcement and health and social care. Baroness Jones of Whitchurch intro-
duced the bill for its Second Reading in the House of Lords saying: “the Govern- ment are presenting the Data (Use and Access) Bill today, to harness the power of data to drive economic growth, support modern digital government and improve people’s lives.” She described the eight parts to the
Bill, the first of which is growing the economy and the government expecta- tion that it will generate £10 billion over 10 years, saying it will improve “every- day processes for people, business and
our public services.” Proposals in the Bill will affect the NHS, government information and academia and includes data protection changes in line with the government’s commitment to “the strongest data privacy protections”. The National Data Library is also part of the Bill and is intended to empower researchers, policymakers, and businesses by providing secure access to public data assets. A number of concerns were raised by peers during the debate including the lack of AI regulation, whether national, sovereign and public data assets were being given away, and no longer giving business “greater agency to deal with non-high-risk data.” One change key to CILIP members was
to the Data Protection Officer role. In 2021 during consultion on proposed changes, Jess Pembroke, Head of Data Protection at Naomi Korn Associates, told Information Professional: “I feel very nervous about the proposal to remove the legal require- ment to designate a Data Protection Officer (DPO),” saying this “was the first time the role of a DPO has been recognised… and
elevated to a senior enough level to make significant impact. This is fundamental for librarians and information specialists who have been tasked with the responsibility of being their organisation’s DPO.” The proposal to make those changes is one of many to be dropped. Another was the requirement for the ICO to “take into account the government’s strategic priorities” which the new Bill is set to drop. In a statement in October, the Information Commissioner said: “When I took office in 2022, I was vocal about any potential reforms that would reduce the ICO’s independence... The government has decided not to pursue the proposal that the ICO must follow a statement of strategic priorities… I welcome the government’s recognition of stakeholder concerns about perceived challenges to our regulatory independence.” For a list of other changes see: www.taylor-
wessing.com/en/insights-and-events/insights/2024/10/ the-uks-data-use-and-access-bill. The Bill has had its second reading in the House of Lords and is now at a Committee stage.
Help shape the future of HE research
AN opportunity to shape the future of research in Higher Education is being opened out to more people and library professionals are being invited to take part.
Recruitment for REF 2029 is due to
get underway in mid December, with places available on the main panel and sub panel. The panels are responsible for assessing the quality of research sub- missions against the established criteria, and help shape how up to £2bn of block grant funding is distributed each year. Changes to the way panels are recruit-
ed have been introduced to help create a more diverse and representative body for the each of the panels. It means that appli- cants no longer have to be nomina ted by an institution, and can now apply as indi- viduals.
Information professionals working in the higher education sector are being encour- aged to apply to be part of the panels and bring their own expertise to the process, helping to ensure a broad section of pro- fessions are represented. Rebecca Fairbairn, REF Director, said: “For REF 2029, we are moving to open
Visitor success
NOTTINGHAM’s new central library, which opened in November 2023, has said it had 293,000 visitors in its first year. The £10.5m library, built as part of a shopping cen-
tre renovation, has hosted more than 660 events with around 4,500 taking part, according to the council. More than 153,597 books have been borrowed and more than 43,330 hours of computer usage have been logged.
Councillor Sam Lux, who oversees the city’s libraries,
said: “Nottingham Central Library has become a wonder- ful cultural hub in the heart of the city. I am thrilled that so many people have visited and attended our events.”
December 2024 Photo © Nottingham Central Library INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 9
applications for main panel and sub-panel recruitment. This means that individuals will apply directly to act as panel mem- bers, rather than being nominated by sec- tor bodies. This change aims to increase transparency, remove barriers for poten- tial applicants, ensure that REF panels are representative of the diverse disciplines they assess, and lower bureaucratic burden for sector bodies.”
For more information on how to apply vis-
it
https://2029.ref.ac.uk and sign up for updates at
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKRI/sig- nup/42673.
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