Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the implications of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 for the UK securing a data adequacy agreement with the EU.

The General Data Protection Regulation will apply to EU member states from 25 May 2018. We expect still to be in the EU at that point, and so the General Data Protection Regulation will apply in the UK from then.

As part of plans for the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government will be seeking to ensure that data flows between the UK and the EU are uninterrupted, and will be considering all the available options during exit negotiations that will provide legal certainty for businesses and citizens alike.