Human Genomic Data: Safeguarding
House of Commons · Written Statements · 2 Jul 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
This is a joint statement made with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Human genomic data drives medical and scientific breakthroughs that benefit people by helping to identify some of the underlying factors in who will develop diseases and how they progress, leading to the development of new treatments. It also contributes significantly to global scientific benefit and economic growth. The UK is a global leader in human genomic data, due to the scale, richness and diversity of its datasets. However, we also know that human genomic data, if shared without due care, has the potential to present national, economic and biological security risks to the UK. The UK Government are committed to keeping human genomic data safe. Keeping human genomic data secure is also important in maintaining the trust of the public in how their health data is used, even more so when people have voluntarily shared their genomic data for research studies. While there are clear legislative requirements and regulatory frameworks that help protect people’s health data, there is no clear statement of the Government’s expectations regarding how human genomic data should be made available for research. Therefore, over the last 12 months, we have been considering how to protect people’s privacy and security, while continuing to make human genomic data available for legitimate research. Today we are publishing new guidance for UK Government funded major holders of human genomic data that...