No pagers, no mobiles, no e-mail, no internet, no encryption. The change in the telecom landscape in less than a generation has been revolutionary. This Bill achieves those ends. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the Security Service Act 1989, the Intelligence Services Act 1994, the Criminal Investigations and Procedure Act 1996, the Police Act 1997, and this Bill, are staging posts on a journey to secure a better balance between law enforcement and individual rights, and proper compliance with the European Court on Human Rights. The old, non-statutory, less formal methods of the past sometimes led to serious miscarriages of justice, dreadful for the individuals concerned, and deeply undermining of public confidence too.
Interception also plays a vital role in the fight against terrorism of all kinds.
The Bill would also extend the protection provided by interception legislation to non-public networks, eg office switchboards. This is an area not currently regulated, and the proposals would require the Secretary of State to authorise any future state interception on these networks before it can occur. There is no change planned to the strict criteria which must be met before an application to intercept can be considered, and each warrant would continue to be personally authorised by the Secretary of State. In order to do this he undertakes inspections of the interception Agencies and relevant Government Departments and makes an annual report to the Prime Minister which is laid before Parliament. To combat this type of criminal the police, HM Customs and the security and intelligence services must be able to use the most effective technology available.