The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations bring into force specified provisions of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18) (“the Act”) on 20th August 2025. They are the first Commencement Regulations made under the Act. Certain provisions were brought into force automatically on Royal Assent by virtue of section 142(2) of the Act, and two months after Royal Assent by virtue of section 142(3) of the Act.

Regulation 2(a) commences Part 1 of the Act which relates to access to customer and business data in connection with the development of Smart Data schemes.

Regulation 2(b) to (q) and (y) commence specified provisions in Part 5 of the Act which makes amendments to certain provisions in the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Regulation 2(r) and 2(z) commence specified provisions in Part 6 of the Act relating to the establishment of the Information Commission.

Regulation 2(s) commences specified provisions in Part 7 of the Act which make amendments to certain provisions in the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50).

Regulations 2(t) and (u) commence specified provisions in Part 7 of the Act which make amendments to Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations 2016.

Regulation 2(v) to (x) commence provisions in Part 7 of the Act relating to copyright works and artificial intelligence systems.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as a full impact assessment was published in relation to the provisions in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.