Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help support small and medium-sized enterprises to meet data protection obligations.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 included several provisions aimed at simplifying the data protection legislation to make it easier to navigate for organisations of all sizes. We are working to commence the measures in the months ahead.

The ICO is the statutory authority responsible for supporting organisations to comply with their obligations under the data protection legislation. To help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comply, the ICO provides a wide range of practical resources on its website. These include guidance on lawful data processing, templates for privacy notices, checklists for compliance, and self-assessment tools.

As part of the ICO’s growth commitments announced in March 2025, the ICO will also launch later this year its SME Data Essentials programme, offering free training to small businesses on compliance with data protection legislation. This will strengthen compliance and reduce costs, enabling SMEs to grow their businesses while building greater trust with customers.