New cyber security and data Bills announced

Among the measures announced yesterday in the first King’s Speech of the Starmer Government are Bills that will update current cybersecurity and data legislation.

Cyber Security and Resilience Bill

Whilst the detail has yet to be published, the Bill is a response to recent cyber attacks on hospitals, universities, local authorities, democratic institutions and government departments.  The Government intends to expand the remit of the existing legislation by:

• bringing more services and supply chains within scope;
• strengthening regulatory powers, including to allow cost recovery and proactive investigation;
• requiring a wider range of incident reporting, including where an organisation or company has been held to ransom.

The Sunak Government had made similar proposals in 2022.  Further detail will emerge when the Bill is published.

Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

The Government states that the Bill will:

• enable new innovative uses of data to be safely developed and deployed;
• help public services work better for everyone by reforming data sharing and standards;
• support the important work of scientists and researchers. “Scientists will be able to ask for broad consent for areas of scientific research, and allow legitimate researchers doing scientific research in commercial settings to make equal use of our data regime.”;
• modernise the structure of the Information Commissioner’s Office and give the ICO stronger powers.

The detail will include measures to establish digital identity verification services and smart data schemes to assist with data sharing.  There will also be measures to help coroners access online/social media information when investigating a child’s death.  A number of these measures had featured in the various Data Protection and Digital Information Bills published under the Johnson and Sunak administrations; the Parliamentary majority of the Starmer Government means the latest proposals should now reach the statute book.