Gay Mitchell
Ceist:78 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of his inquiries into alleged interception of e-mails, faxes and telephone calls from Ireland to Britain. [18184/99]
Written Answers. - British Intelligence Activities.
I take it that the Deputy is referring to a Channel 4 programme, broadcast on 15 July this year, which alleged widespread interception by the British authorities of communications originating in this country. At that time, I instructed the ambassador in London to raise these allegations at a very senior level in the British Foreign Office. The ambassador emphasised the public concern, and that of the Government, about the allegations contained in the Channel 4 report. He was informed that it is the policy of the British Government neither to confirm nor deny allegations of specific intelligence activities, and therefore his interlocutor was not in a position to comment on the detailed points raised in the Channel 4 report. However, he informed the ambassador that the interception of telecommunications by British authorities was carried out in accordance with the British Interception of Communications Act, 1985.
The Interception of Communications Act makes it an offence to intercept communications by post or by means of a public telecommunication system except under the circumstances set out in the Act. In this regard, warrants authorising the interception of communications may only be issued by a Secretary of State, and only where the warrant is considered necessary in the interests of national security; for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime, or for the purpose of safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom.
Warrants may be issued for a maximum period of two months. While a Secretary of State may renew a warrant, there is a duty to cancel any which are no longer considered necessary. In 1998, 2,031 interception warrants were authorised, of which 487 were in force on 31 December 1998. This would represent only a small fraction of communications.
The Act also establishes an independent oversight regime in the form of the Interception Commissioner. It also provides for a tribunal to investigate complaints where a complainant believes that his or her communications have been intercepted in breach of the Act.