Public Advocate Bill [HL]

A Bill to establish a public Advocate to provide advice to, and act as data controller for, representatives of the deceased after major incidents

Originating House

House of Lords

Parliament last updated

5 May 2021

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

The Public Advocate Bill would create a new public Advocate to help people who act for someone who has died in a major incident. The Advocate would also be the data controller for the personal data of those representatives, guiding how information is handled in investigations and support processes. The aim is to provide practical help and clearer data handling for families and others after such incidents.

Key Points

Creates a Public Advocate role to advise and assist representatives of the deceased after major incidents.
The Advocate would act as the data controller for the personal data of those representatives.
Addresses how information is managed in the aftermath of major incidents to support families and other affected people.
Originated in the Lords and is currently at the Second Reading stage (first reading was in January 2020).
Related to technology policy through its focus on data handling and processing.

Progress

The bill is currently at the Second Reading stage in the Lords. It originated in the Lords in January 2020 and has not yet progressed to the Commons.

Who is affected?

Families and friends of people who die in major incidentsPeople acting as representatives for those families (e.g., lawyers, charities)Public bodies and organisations that handle or process the representatives' personal data (data controllers/ processors)Public authorities involved in major incident responses and related data handling

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingLords

15 Jan 2020

2nd readingLords

Committee stageLords

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

1st readingCommons

2nd readingCommons

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

Royal Assent

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - Public Advocate

1 Jan 1970

First reading took place on 15 January. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.

Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.

The 2019-2021 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.

Documents (1)

HL Bill 28 (as introduced)

BillLords

15 Jan 2020

Parliamentary Votes (0)

No recorded votes for this bill yet.