New data bill to unlock £10bn for the economy, UK government says

Proposed new data legislation will boost the UK economy by £10bn and free up millions of police and NHS staff hours, the UK Government has said.

If made law, the Data Use and Access Bill is expected to significantly improve public services by bringing down costs and removing “unnecessary tasks”.

The proposed measures come months after NHS waiting times hit record highs north of the border and police numbers dropped to their lowest level in 15 years.

However, it is yet unknown how the bill’s measures would apply to Scotland. A Scottish Government spokesperson told Holyrood, the government “will study the provisions of the bill carefully and consider how these proposals may impact Scotland” but added it welcomed “any changes that will help free up time for frontline staff”.

According to the UK Government, the bill would generate £10bn across 10 years by creating the “right conditions” to support the future of models such as open banking, which help customers get personalised market comparisons and financial advice to cut costs.

It is understood if made law, it would also cut the red tape for police officers, removing tasks such as manual logging requirements whenever they access personal data to work on a case.

These new initiatives would free up to 1.5 million hours of officers’ time a year, saving around £42.8m in taxpayers’ money every year, the government claimed.

Additional time, which would allow more officers to be on the streets, would make “a real difference to in fighting and solving crime" and help the government bring back “neighbourhood policing”, UK crime minister Diana Johnson added.

North of the border, the Scottish Government has already introduced the £33m Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) initiative, which allows police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges to access a unified system to manage evidence digitally.

In August, Scottish justice secretary Angela Constance told Holyrood the national roll-out of the DESC would cut police officers’ workload and allow for a more “person-centred” criminal justice system.

It is also hoped the new data bill would also help fix the “broken” NHS by allowing each part of the system to “properly” share “vital medical records” with each other, health secretary Wes Streeting said.

If passed, the legislation would allow for an easier transfer of patient data across the NHS, which would free up 140,000 hours of NHS staff time every year, “speeding up care and improving patient’s health outcomes”, the government added.

Addressing fear of private information being shared, Streeting said data would only be accessed by “relevant staff” and the bill would require IT suppliers to the healthcar sector to comply with common “strict” security protocols.

If passed the bill would also simplify tasks such as renting a flat, starting work, or enabling electronic registration of births and deaths, slashing “unnecessary” administrative paperwork.

It would also put the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) on a statutory footing, meaning owners of underground infrastructure, such as water companies or telecoms operators, would have to register their assets on the NUAR to help create a complete map of underground pipes and cables.

It is understood this move would help cut the risk of accidents on pipes and cables, preventing potential disruption to roadworks and access to key amenities.

Technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “Data is the DNA of modern life and quietly drives every aspect of our society and economy without us even noticing – from our NHS treatments and social interactions to our business and banking transactions.  

“It has the enormous potential to make our lives better, boosting our National Health Service, cutting costs when we shop, and saving us valuable time.

“With laws that help us to use data securely and effectively, this bill will help us boost the UK’s economy, free up vital time for our front-line workers, and relieve people from unnecessary admin so that they can get on with their lives.”

The measures will be underpinned by a revamped Information Commissioner’s Office, with a new structure and powers of enforcement to ensure people’s personal data remains protected.

John Edwards, the information commissioner, said: “We welcome the introduction of the Data Use and Access Bill in the House of Lords and look forward to seeing it progress through parliament to royal assent. This is an important piece of legislation which will allow my office to continue to operate as a trusted, fair and independent regulator and provide certainty for all organisations as they innovate and promote the UK economy.