Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 — Will write letters: Letter from Lord Katz to Lord Goddard, Lord Leigh and Baroness Coffey regarding trade unions' right of "digital" access to workplaces (clause 56).

TheLordKatzMBE
LordinWaiting(GovernmentWhip)
DepartmentforBusinessandTrade
OldAdmiraltyBuilding
DepartmentforAdmiraltyPlace
Whitehall
Business&TradeLondon
SW1A2DY
TheLordGoddardofStockport
7#44(0)02045570011
TheLordLeighofHurley
Wenagovuldabt
TheRtHon.theBaronessCoffeyDBE
HouseofLords
London
SW1AOPW
19June2025
MyLords,
EmploymentRightsBill—
DigitalRightofAccess
ThankyouforyourcontributionstotheCommitteestagedebateontheEmploymentRights
Billon5June,onthetopicoftradeunions’rightof“digital”accessintoworkplaces.iam
writingtoprovidefurtherinformationonareasyouhadrequestedclarificationonduringlast
week'sdebate.
Clause56providesalegalframeworkforemployerandunionstonegotiateandagree
accessagreements,givingbothpartiescertaintyandclaritywhennavigatingtheir
interactionsregardingaccess.Itshouldbenotedthatwestillwanttoseeemployersand
unions,wherepossible,agreeaccessarrangementsbetweenthemselvesandcontinueto
usevoluntaryarrangementswherepossible.
Underthenewlegalframework,ifanagreementcannotbereached,theCentralArbitration
Committee(CAC)canthenmakeadecisiononwhetheraccessshouldtakeplaceand
imposeanagreement.SuchdecisionswillbeguidedbytermssetbytheSecretaryofState
insecondarylegislation,followingpublicconsultation.
RightofAccessisabouthelpingemployersandunionsagreeunions’accesstoworkplaces.
Wewillensurethatthedetailoftheaccessframeworkworksforemployers,unionsand
workers.Thisincludesprovidingfordigitalaccesstoreflectthediverseworkingpracticesin
themodernworldofwork.Therefore,itisimportantthatkeyoperationaldetailsareinformed
bypublicconsultation,ratherthansetinprimarylegislationinadvanceofthatprocess.
Thefollowingsectionsprovidefurtherclarificationontheissuesbyyourselvesinthedebate.
Theimpactoflimitingdigitalaccess
LordGoddardaskedforclarificationontheimpactofamendments208A,209A,210and
210AontheBill'sobjectivesandeffectivenessoftheaccessframework,particularlyin
accommodatingdiverseworkplacemodels.

Amendments208A,209A,210Awouldremovetheprovisionforunionsto‘communicate’
withworkersforanyoftheaccesspurposes,thusexcludingdigitalmethodsof
communicationsuchasemail.Meanwhile,amendment210wouldexcludetheuseofan
employer'sdigitalproperty,infrastructure,oronlinesystemfromaccessprovisions.These
amendmentswouldsignificantlyreducetheeffectivenessoftheaccessframework,
especiallyforworkerswhodonotattendaphysicalworkplace,suchasthoseworking
remotelyorinhybridroles.
TheGovernmentwillbeconsultingwithbothbusinessesandtradeunionsonwhat‘digital’
accessshouldincludebeforesettingitoutinsecondarylegislation.Theseamendments
wouldunhelpfullypre-emrptthatprocessbynarrowingthescopeof‘digital’accessbefore
theconsultationhastakenplace.TheGovernmentisfirmlyoftheviewthatdetailsof‘digital’
accessmustbeproperlyconsideredthroughconsultationbeforesettingitoutinsecondary
legislation.
Wewanttoseeafair,proportionate,andeffectiveaccessframeworkthatbalancesthe
needsofbothbusinessesandtradeunions.Recognisingtheincreasingprevalenceofnew
workplacemodels,wehaveexpandedaccessprovisionstoallowaccessagreementsthat
enablecommunicationwithworkerswithoutinvolvingphysicalentrytotheworkplace.
Restricting‘digital’accesswouldriskcreatingatwo-tiersystem,excludingalargeportionof
theworkforceandunderminingtheimpactofthepolicy.
TheSecretaryofStatewillbeabletoprescribeaccesstermswhichtheCACshouldconsider
asnotunreasonablyinterferingwithanemployer’sbusiness,andbeingreasonablefor
employerstoadhereto.Inaddition,secondarylegislationcansetoutthetermsthatitwould
bereasonableforauniontocomplywith.Thesetermswillbedevelopedthroughpublic
consultationandsetoutinsecondarylegislation,andwestronglyencourageviewsfrom
businessesofalltypesandsizestoinputtheirviews.
Dataprotectionsfordigitalaccess
LordLeighaskedformoreclarificationonhowdigitalaccesswillberegulatedtoprotect
employerdata,particularlyinSMEs.
Notonlywillexistingdataprotectionlegislationwillcontinuetoapplyto‘digital:access
—
whichwillsafeguardagainstanyunlawfulsharingofpersonaldata
—
buttheSecretaryof
StatewillhavethepowertoprescribecircumstanceswheretheCACmustrefuseaccess,
aswellasstepsthatareconsideredreasonableforemployerstotaketofacilitateaccess.
Thesedetailswillbesubjecttopublicconsultationpriortobeingoutlinedinsecondary
legislation.ThereisalsoarequirementonthefaceoftheBillwhichprohibitsthedisclosure
ofpersonaldatawithouttheconsentofthedatasubject.
Digital-accessamendmentatCommonsReportStage
BaronessCoffeyinquiredastowhenandwhytheprovisionsfordigitalaccesswas
introducedintotheBill.

DigitalaccesswasintroducedatreportstageintheHouseofCommonson11March2025.
Priortothat,theGovernmenthadconsultedontradeunionreformsinMakeWorkPay:
CreatingaModernIndustrialFrameworkforIndustrialRelations’,whichranfromOctober
toDecember2024.
Akeythemefromresponseswereceivedwastheneedtoextendaccessrightintothedigital
space,ensuringunionscanreachworkersirrespectiveofwheretheyworkorthemodeltheir
workplacetakes.
Followingadetailedanalysisoftheconsultation,theGovernmentbroughtforward
amendments163and164atCommonsreportstage?toincludedigitalaccessintherightof
accessprovisions.Youcanalsofindfurtherjustificationfortheseamendmentsinthe
Government'sresponsetotheconsultation’,
Asmentionedabove,thisprovisionensuresthatallworkersarecoveredbythispolicy,
avoidingatwo-tiersystemthatwouldotherwisecreatedisparitiesbetweenemployerswith
differentworkplacemodels.ItalsoalignswiththeGovernment'scommitmenttomodernising
theindustrialrelationsframeworkandmovingawayfromoutdated,ad-hocaccess
arrangements.
{hopethisprovidestheclarificationsought.Wewelcomecontinueddialogueonthese
mattersastheRightofAccesspolicyprogressesthroughconsultationandsecondary
legislation.
|amcopyingthislettertoallNobleLordswhospokeinthedebate.|amalsodepositinga
copyofthisletterintheLibraryoftheHouse.
Bestwishes,
N
J
TheLordKatzMBE
LordInWaiting(GovernmentWhip)
*
httos:/iwww.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-work-pav-crea
industrial-relations
?
CommonsReportAmendmentPaper,httos://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bilis/cbill/59-
01/0163/amend/employmentdayren_0306.pdf
Shttps://assets.publishina.service.gov.uk/media/67c6d4e1750837d7604dbe03/governmresponse_creatin
g_modernframeworkindustrial_relations.pdf