The House of Lords' European Affairs Committee has opened an inquiry into data adequacy and its implications for the UK-EU relationship. The inquiry comes ahead of the upcoming decision to renew the allowance of free flowing 'commercial and criminal investigation related personal data to and from the bloc' approved post-Brexit by the EU under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (EU GDPR) and Directive 2016/680/EU (Law Enforcement Directive). The inquiry will look into the methods of current arrangements working in practice, including 'benefits and shortcomings, as well as the possible implications of any divergence in the respective data protection regimes of the UK and EU'. The inquiry will focus on evaluating current UK-EU data flow arrangements, anticipated hurdles to UK-EU data adequacy, ramifications of disrupted UK-EU data adequacy, and insights from other nations' adequacy experiences and interactions with the European Commission. The Committee aims to report to the House of Lords by July 2024. Interested individuals may submit written evidence by 12.00 pm on 3 May 2024.

The UK Parliament has published the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill debate that took place on 8 October 2024. The Bill contains measures seeking to update the UK’s product safety, regulation and metrology framework. Lord Leong concluded the debate by stating that the Bill allows parliament to keep pace with new technologies and to make sovereign choices as to how to diverge or align with the EU and other trading partners.

The UK Parliament has published the amended Arbitration Bill which proposes amendments to the Arbitration Act 1996 (AA 1996). The proposed amendments were moved in the meeting of the Special Public Bill Committee on 27 March 2024. The amendments to AA 1996, s 67 (dealing with procedure on challenging awards) is in relation to the rules to be followed, the grounds on which an objection may be raised and the evidence that can be considered. An additional paragraph clarifies that the power to make rules of court is not limited by the proposed amendment to AA 1996, s 67.

The UK Parliament has published a briefing on the principles, challenges and government commitments on the rule of law which will be debated on 16 November 2024. The briefing covers, the principles of the rule of law, the recent views on the rule of law in the UK by the House of Lords Constitution Committee, sector organisations and leader of the Conservative Party and the Labour government and the rule of law.

The UK Parliament has published detail on the new Parliament and the state opening of Parliament as well as the next steps for the House of Commons, following the 2024 general election. The new Parliament will begin on 9 July 2024 and the House of Commons will return to elect a new Speaker. The State Opening of Parliament will then take place on 17 July 2024, at which the King will give the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.

The UK Parliament has published an insight on the role and accountability of ministers in the House of Lords. The briefing covers, the ministerial roles in the House of Lords, the role of leader of the House of Lords, the role of other government ministers, the scrutiny of ministers in the Lords and scrutiny of Lords ministers in the Commons.

The UK Parliament has published the public inquiries report based on enhancing public trust. In the report the Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee has made recommendations including the establishment of a new committee to monitor the government's response to inquiry recommendations, ensuring that accepted recommendations are implemented and building on existing work. The inquiries unit in the Cabinet Office will be expanded to create a knowledge bank, offering approaches to inquiry chairs and secretariats.

UK Parliament has reported that a new report stage date in the House of Lords for the Arbitration Bill has been set. The date is set for 12 June 2024.

The UK Parliament has reported the upcoming election of select committee chairs. The committee chairs will be elected by the whole House by secret ballot using the alternative vote system where MPs will rank candidates in order of preference. The period of nominations will be open until 4pm on 9 September 2024 and the ballot is scheduled for 11 September 2024.

Two cross-party committees, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, have responded to the UK government's consultation on artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright. They emphasise the need for fair remuneration for creators and call for improved transparency in AI data usage. The committees oppose the government's proposal for an 'opt-out' approach to AI training data, citing the lack of technical measures to enforce it. They urge the government to publish full impact assessments and ensure compliance mechanisms are in place.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note was archived and is not maintained. UK

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note was archived and is not maintained. UK