Tag: Andrew Defty
Andrew Parker’s BBC interview shows continuing weaknesses in how UK security services are scrutinised
Last month, MI5 Director General Andrew Parker appeared on BBC Radio 4 to make the case for intelligence agency powers in advance of the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill. Andrew Defty argues that while new surveillance legislation is needed, a robust regulatory framework will also be required to produce effective intelligence and a more secure society. […]
The delay in appointing a new Intelligence and Security Committee threatens to undermine its work before it has even begun
In February of this year, the then-Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) – the body which oversees the UK’s three main intelligence agencies – was caught in a journalistic sting operation. Since then, the ISC seems to have been inactive. It is now two months since the General Election and the Government (who […]
It is time to adopt a different approach to appointing members of the Intelligence and Security Committee
The Intelligence and Security Committee which oversees Britain’s Security Services (MI5, SIS, and GCHQ) has come under sustained scrutiny for its perceived reluctance to exert scrutiny over those it is tasked with watching. Andrew Defty argues that recent events show the need to change the appointments procedure in order to buck the trend of appointing […]
If the Intelligence and Security Committee is to be an effective scrutineer, it must be able to rely on the accuracy of the information provided by the security services
Recent events at the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), the Parliamentary body tasked with holding MI5, MI6, and GCHQ to account, have shown the difficulty of knowing fully the activities of these organisations. Andrew Defty explores the possibility that representatives from GCHQ may have recently given a misleading impression to the ISC. Similar PostsNot all scrutiny […]
Recent events at the Intelligence and Security Committee make it increasingly difficult to justify the current arrangements for scrutinising the security services
The Intelligence and Security Committee is the only parliamentary body tasked with overseeing the work of Britain’s intelligence services, and has come under sustained criticism following revelations about the scale of surveillance that these bodies carry out. Andrew Defty argues that an alleged recent ‘leak’ from the committee could make it difficult to sustain the argument that the […]
Having security chiefs give evidence to Parliament is progress, but future sessions must dig deeper
Last week was the first time that the heads of Britain’s security services have appeared in public in front of the newly reformed Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). Andrew Defty argues that although the session was in and of itself significant, in future the ISC members must exert a greater degree of scrutiny if the committee is […]
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