Formal Minutes
Tuesday 17 March 2015
Keith Vaz, in the Chair
| Ian Austin
Nicola Blackwood
Michael Ellis
Paul Flynn
| | Dr Julian Huppert
Tim Loughton
Yasmin Qureshi
Mr David Winnick
|
Draft Report (Counter-terrorism: foreign fighters), proposed
by the Chair, brought up and read.
Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph
by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 35 read and agreed to.
Paragraph—(Dr Julian Huppert)—brought up and
read, as follows:
Oversight of the security and intelligence agencies
We do not believe the current system of oversight is effective
and we have concerns that the weak nature of that system has an
impact upon the credibility of the agencies' accountability, and
on the credibility of Parliament itself. The Home Secretary, Rt
Hon Theresa May MP, stated on 10 July 2014 that she had asked
David Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation,
to lead a review of the capabilities and powers required by law
enforcement and intelligence agencies, and the regulatory framework
within which those capabilities and powers should be exercised.
In March 2014, the Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP,
announced an Independent Surveillance Review (ISR), to be carried
out by the Royal United Services Institute, on 4 March 2014. The
ISR's purpose is to review the relationship between the needs
of security and law enforcement in relation to civil liberties
concerns in an era of rapidly evolving communications technology.
The government has announced its intention for a Joint Committee
to be established in the next Parliament to consider these various
reviews and to make recommendations for new legislation to be
brought into force before DRIPA expires. We support this intention
and urge the next Government to go ahead with this proposal. We
are very concerned that there continues to be no oversight of
the use of section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984. We recommend
that the Interception of Communications Commissioner be given
the statutory responsibility for this purpose, including publishing
at least information on how often it is used in each year.
Question put, That the paragraph be read a second time.
The Committee divided:
|
Ayes, 4
Paul Flynn
Dr Julian Huppert
Yasmin Qureshi
Mr David Winnick
| | Noes, 4
Ian Austin
Nicola Blackwood
Michael Ellis
Tim Loughton
|
Whereupon the Chair declared himself with the Noes.
Question accordingly negative.
Resolved, That the Report be the Nineteenth Report of the
Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House.
Ordered, That embargoed copies of the Report be made available,
in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 134.
[Adjourned to a day and time to be fixed by the Chair.
| 
