Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how individuals are informed by his Department that decisions affecting them have been taken (a) in whole and (b) in part by automated means.

The Department does not currently have tools, products or processes that rely on automated decision-making (ADM).

Individuals are informed about how their personal data is processed through Privacy Notices, which are kept under review and updated where required.

If ADM is introduced, transparency requirements would apply as soon as the Department obtains individuals’ data for solely ADM. Articles 13 and 14 of the UK GDPR require organisations to provide privacy information about the existence of solely ADM. Where decisions are supported by automation but involve meaningful human input that influences the outcome, they would not be considered solely automated decisions.