The parties in opposition including both SNP and Labour are facing an uphill battle to suggest amendments that offer substantial and robust civil liberties protections as part of the Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill). While this process has been severely hindered by the curtailed timetable given to analyse and scrutinise the bill, a number of the amendments put forward would add significant protections, including truly independent judicial oversight mechanisms, expanding protections for legal & journalistic privilege and limiting bulk and intrusive powers.
This bill requires radical and wholesale change and Scottish PEN supports the work of the SNP, Labour and civil society more broadly to ensure that the bill protects our fundamental civil liberties. Whether what is on the table is enough to bring the IP Bill inline with civil liberties and best practice is up for debate – but we shouldn’t downplay the significance of these amendments – they are real and substantial recommendations that should be robustly debated. It is important to note that this is only one step in the process and we encourage any and all work to further amend the bill as it progresses through parliament.
The SNP’s amendment to ensure that meaningful judicial oversight extends to Scotland, instead of the ministerial mechanism currently in place, is a vital amendment that Scottish organisations, commentators and policy-makers should get behind. We believe this will have real and meaningful impact on the implementation of the IP Bill north of the border.
Click here to read our submission to the Public Bill Committee
Photo by Hà Nguy?n via Flickr under Creative Commons license.
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