Member

I suspect my noble friend the Minister will point to the current role of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office, IPCO, and its responsibility to oversee the use of CCAs pursuant to RIPA as amended by the CHIS Act. There are two key issues with such reliance. First, these reports, and the very high-level picture they provide, are frequently delayed by years after cursory analysis, and rely heavily on the users of these powers being forthcoming, both in the issuance of the criminal conduct authorisations—CCAs—as well as with respect to any issues which have flowed from them. Recent cases, such as where it was revealed that the Security Service gave false evidence in proceedings about an undercover operative who violently abused his then-girlfriend, Beth, show this to be a poor and inadequate mechanism for proper oversight and scrutiny.