House of Lords push back on DUA Bill amendments

Following the UK’s Parliamentary debate on 7 May 2025, the Data (Use and Access) Bill (DUA Bill) returned to the House of Lords on 12 May 2025, where Peers backed several significant amendments previously rejected by the government. 

AI transparency

Among the most contentious changes was a cross-party amendment requiring AI companies to disclose which copyrighted materials were used to train their models. The amendment, tabled by crossbench peer Baroness Beeban Kidran passed by 272 votes to 125, despite government opposition. 

During the debate, Peers stressed the importance of transparency in AI development amid a growing backlash from artists and cultural institutions. Kidron described the current government plans as ‘an assault on the British economy’, arguing that allowing tech firms to build AI systems using copyrighted content without consentAn unambiguous, informed and freely given indication by an individual agreeing to their personal data being processed. would devalue the UK’s £120 billion creative sector. 

Scope of scientific research  

Another notable area of debate was the tightening of provisions related to scientific research. Earlier drafts of the DUA Bill have drawn criticism for being overly broad, potentially allowing organisations to justify the processing of personal dataInformation which relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. under the guise of research. The Lords voted on tightening this language, stating that any activity described as scientific research must be ‘conducted according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks, obligations and standards.’ 

Crossbench peer, Lord Tarassento, argued, ‘The relevant safeguardsWhen transferring personal data to a third country, organisations must put in place appropriate safeguards to ensure the protection of personal data. Organisations should ensure that data subjects' rights will be respected and that the data subject has access to redress if they don't, and that the GDPR principles will be adhered to whilst the personal data is in the... already exist in the current legislation. Adding a further public interest test will only increase the amount of bureaucracy…

Lawrence Carter, DPO and Life Sciences Sector Lead at The DPO Centre commented:

‘The amendment attempts to tie the concept of “scientific research” to the definition of “Research and Experimental Development” established in the OECD Frascati Manual, requiring research to be both creative and systematic. As Lord Vallance noted, this conflation may unintentionally exclude valuable scientific work like unfunded, early-stage research or replication studies. At a time when the government aims to support UK Life Sciences and reduce barriers to growth, adding more bureaucracy to an already highly regulated sector seems counter-productive. If the DUA Bill passes in its current form, organisations conducting scientific research across the EU and the UK will need to consider, and demonstrate, whether their activities meet both this new definition and the definition that is already established in EU GDPRRegulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons regarding the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation). Recital 159, and, where relevant, update their data protection framework accordingly.

Final steps before Royal Assent

The DUA Bill now returns to the House of Commons, where MPs will consider the Lords’ amendments before it can proceed to Royal Assent and become law. While some further wording adjustments may be made, no major hurdles are expected. 

Dom Newton, DPO at The DPO Centre, said, ‘It is unlikely the government will want to further delay the Bill’s progress, especially with the UK’s adequacy status up for review at the end of the year. For commercial organisations handling cross-border transfers, that stability is crucial.’

We will keep you updated on the final stage of the Bill’s progression. 

For further information on the commercial implications of the DUA Bill, watch Wired Relations webinar with insights from Dom Newton, DPO.