Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to prepare a report on the operation of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, in accordance with section 260 of that Act.

The Home Office carried out an internal review into the operation of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 last year to inform the Home Secretary’s Report as required by Section 260. This report will be published and laid in Parliament in due course. A final copy of the report will be shared with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and Intelligence and Security Committee ahead of publication. This Report aims to assess, as far as possible, the extent to which the objectives of the Act continue to be met and whether any changes are required to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

To complement this process, and noting the value of the independent scrutiny that informed the passage of the 2016 Act, the Home Secretary has decided to appoint Lord Anderson KBE KC to conduct a separate review into aspects of the Act to inform any potential legislative change. Lord Anderson will carry out his own consultation with law enforcement, the intelligence agencies, and wider public authorities, as well as other external organisations and individuals with an interest in this work.