Friend tells me that we are still considering the matter and are not yet in a position to respond in detail. We shall clarify the position at a later date. Question put and agreed to. Clause 19 ordered to stand part of the Bill. This is an important part of the debate in which we shall return to some old arguments and embark on some fresh ones.
Communications data are extremely significant.
The Bill is based on an old framework, in which communications data simply meant using a telephone bill from BT to find out the numbers that a person had called. Nowadays, communications data allow one to create an almost complete picture of that person's life. We must take that seriously, and ensure that there is a fairly high threshold before the Government can intervene to collect that data. The amendments aim to ensure that judicial authorisation is given to collection of communications data. This is an old theme to which we have referred several times, but which we wish consistently to advance.