Policy background Amendment to the Serious Crime Act 2007
Section 30 inserts an additional defence into Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 (SCA) which applies in the extra-territorial circumstances provided for in Schedule 4 of that Act. This ensures that individuals working for the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service, GCHQ, and individuals carrying out intelligence functions in the Armed Forces, have a specific defence against the offences of encouraging or assisting crime in sections 44 to 46 of the SCA.