News Archive

Subscribe to posts

27 April 2017

posted 27 Apr 2017, 08:00 by ISC Admin   [ updated 27 Apr 2017, 08:00 ]

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has today issued a press statement which summarises its work since the publication of its most recent Annual Report in July 2016.

26 April 2017

posted 26 Apr 2017, 01:59 by ISC Admin

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has today published its UK Lethal Drone Strikes in Syria Report and also issued a press release.

This Report examines the intelligence basis behind the UK lethal drone strike against Reyaad Khan, a British citizen, in Syria in August 2015.

17 March 2017

posted 17 Mar 2017, 10:44 by ISC Admin

The Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP, has today issued the following statement:
The Committee is aware of the allegations that the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, tasked GCHQ to 'wire tap' the now President of the United States, Donald Trump, during the 2016 US Presidential election.

First, I should make clear that the President of the United States is not able to task GCHQ to intercept an individual's communications.

Second, long-standing agreements between the Five Eyes countries means that the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand cannot ask each other to target each other's citizens or individuals that they cannot themselves target, or in any other way seek to circumvent their own or each other's legal and policy obligations.

Third, an individual can only be the target of interception by GCHQ under a warrant signed by a Secretary of State. Such warrants can only authorise action where it is necessary and proportionate for a valid national security purpose. It is inconceivable that those legal requirements could be met in the circumstances described.

I note GCHQ's public denial of the potentially damaging allegations against them. This was an unusual step by the Agency, but it clearly indicates the strength of feeling about this issue, and I echo that sentiment.

16 December 2016

posted 16 Dec 2016, 07:23 by ISC Admin

The Committee has submitted its Report UK Lethal Drone Strikes in Syria to the Prime Minister.

In accordance with standard practice under the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Report will now be subject to a redactions process to prepare it for publication. The Committee expects that this process will be completed in the New Year.

21 October 2016

posted 21 Oct 2016, 03:00 by ISC Admin

The following motion was agreed in the House of Commons yesterday:

That Richard Benyon and Mr David Hanson be appointed to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament under section 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013 in place of Sir Alan Duncan who ceased in accordance with paragraph 1(2)(b) of Schedule 1 to that Act to be a member of the Committee when he became a Minister of the Crown and Mr George Howarth who has resigned as a member of the Committee in accordance with paragraph 1(3)(a) of Schedule 1 to that Act.

The full current list of ISC members is available here.

5 July 2016

posted 5 Jul 2016, 03:04 by ISC Admin

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has today published its 2015-2016 Annual Report covering the period between the appointment of the new Committee in September 2015 and June 2016.

9 June 2016

posted 9 Jun 2016, 05:54 by ISC Admin

9 February 2016

posted 9 Feb 2016, 02:29 by ISC Admin

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has today published its Report on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill and also issued a press statement.

Today's report builds upon the ISC's major report published in March last year - Privacy and Security: A modern and transparent legal framework - which detailed all of the intrusive powers and capabilities available to the intelligence Agencies and which recommended significant changes to the legal framework and authorisation regimes governing their use.

14 January 2016

posted 18 Jan 2016, 04:47 by ISC Admin

The Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP, has written an open letter to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP, clarifying the scope of the ISC’s inquiry into intelligence basis for the drone strike which killed Reyaad Khan in Syria on 21 August 2015.

4 November 2015

posted 4 Nov 2015, 06:22 by ISC Admin   [ updated 4 Nov 2015, 06:22 ]

1-10 of 63