Commentary Investigatory powers Section 7: Review of investigatory powers and their regulation
58.Subsection (1) provides for the Secretary of State to appoint the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation to review the regulation and operation of investigatory powers. The independent reviewer is a post that already exists under the Terrorism Act 2006. This section will add these additional responsibilities to his remit until a report has been provided to the Prime Minister (see subsection (4)).
59.Subsection (2) provides for the issues that the independent reviewer must consider. Specifically, the independent reviewer must consider current and future threats to the United Kingdom; capabilities needed to combat such threats; privacy safeguards; challenges faced by changing technologies; transparency and oversight; and the effectiveness of existing legislation and whether there is a case for new or amending legislation.
60.Subsection (3) ensures, if reasonably practicable, that the review will be completed by 1 May 2015.
61.Subsection (4) specifies that a report on the outcome of the review must be sent to the Prime Minister.
62.Subsections (5) and (6) provide for the Prime Minister to lay a copy of the report before Parliament. If the Prime Minister decides that publishing certain sections of the report will be contrary to the public interest or prejudicial to national security they can be excluded from the report. When the Prime Minister wishes to exclude a section from the report a statement must be provided to Parliament that the section has been excluded.
63.Subsection (7) provides for the Secretary of State to pay the independent reviewer expenses incurred in carrying out functions under this section.
64.Subsection (8) specifies that the independent reviewer is the person appointed under section 36(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006.
65.Once the independent reviewer has provided his report to the Prime Minister, the additional responsibilities under this section will cease.