- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
Data Protection Act 2018
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
Changes over time for: Section 21
Alternative versions:
Changes to legislation:
Data Protection Act 2018, Section 21 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 23 November 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 13A inserted by 2024 c. 21 s. 31(4)
- s. 204(1)(l) inserted by S.I. 2024/374 Sch. 5 para. 7
- Sch. 3 para. 8(1)(y) added by 2022 c. 18 (N.I.) Sch. 3 para. 78(3)
21[F1Definitions]U.K.
This section has no associated Explanatory Notes
F2(1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5)In this Chapter, “FOI public authority” means—
(a)a public authority as defined in the Freedom of Information Act 2000, F3...
(b)a Scottish public authority as defined in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13) [F4, or
(c)the Advanced Research and Invention Agency].
(6)References in this Chapter to personal data “held” by an FOI public authority are to be interpreted—
(a)in relation to England and Wales and Northern Ireland, in accordance with section 3(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and
(b)in relation to Scotland, in accordance with section 3(2), (4) and (5) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13),
but such references do not include information held by an intelligence service (as defined in section 82) on behalf of an FOI public authority.
(7)But personal data is not to be treated as “held” by an FOI public authority for the purposes of this Chapter, where—
(a)section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 prevents Parts 1 to 5 of that Act from applying to the personal data, or
(b)section 7(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13) prevents that Act from applying to the personal data.
[F5(8)In relation to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency—
(a)for the purposes of subsection (6)(a)—
(i)section 3(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is to be read as if “public authority” included that Agency, and
(ii)section 3(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13) is to be read as if “authority” included that Agency, and
(b)subsection (7) does not apply.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 21 heading substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 29(2) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
F2S. 21(1)-(4) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 29(3) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
F3Word in s. 21(5)(a) omitted (25.1.2023) by virtue of Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 (c. 4), s. 13(1), Sch. 3 para. 15(2)(a); S.I. 2023/58, reg. 2
F4S. 21(5)(c) and word inserted (25.1.2023) by Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 (c. 4), s. 13(1), Sch. 3 para. 15(2)(b); S.I. 2023/58, reg. 2
F5S. 21(8) inserted (25.1.2023) by Advanced Research and Invention Agency Act 2022 (c. 4), s. 13(1), Sch. 3 para. 15(3); S.I. 2023/58, reg. 2
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThe Whole Chapter
PrintThe Whole Cross Heading
PrintThis Section only
You have chosen to open The Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Act as a PDF
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Act without Schedules
The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Act without Schedules as a PDF
The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Act without Schedules
The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open Schedules only
The Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
Explanatory Notes
Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.