Policy background
The IPA 2016 was introduced to provide a clear legal framework for the intelligence services, law enforcement, and other public authorities to obtain and utilise communications, and data about communications, where it was deemed necessary and proportionate and in line with the statutory purposes set out in the Act.
	These powers, supported by safeguards, play an integral part in helping to keep the public safe from a range of threats including terrorism, state threats, and serious and organised crime, such as child sexual abuse and exploitation.
	Since the introduction of the IPA 2016, the world has changed. Technology has advanced, and the type of threats the UK faces continue to evolve. The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act therefore seeks to make targeted changes to the IPA 2016 to support the intelligence services in keeping pace with a range of threats against a backdrop of accelerating technological advancements, which provide new opportunities for criminals such as terrorists, hostile state actors, child abusers, and criminal gangs.
	As per s260 of the IPA 2016, the Home Secretary conducted a Statutory Review of the functioning of the Act. The report on the findings of this review was published in February 2023 1 . The overarching conclusion of the review was that parts of the Act were inhibiting the ability of the intelligence services to keep the country safe from both current and evolving threats.
	Engagement with law enforcement, the intelligence services, wider public authorities, and government departments found that, while in high-level terms the IPA 2016 has broadly achieved its aims, there is a case for immediate legislative change to some targeted parts of that Act.
	To complement the Home Secretary’s review and noting the value of the independent scrutiny that informed the passage of IPA 2016, the Home Secretary appointed Lord Anderson to conduct an independent review into the Act to inform any potential legislative change.
	Lord Anderson’s review was entirely independent from the Home Secretary’s statutory review. His subsequent report on his review, published in June 2023, focused on the effectiveness of the bulk personal dataset regime, criteria for obtaining internet connection records, the suitability of certain definitions within the IPA 2016, and the resilience and agility of warrantry processes and the oversight regime.
	The measures being taken forward in the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act have been driven by the Home Secretary’s review and the recommendations made in Lord Anderson’s report.