JUDICIAL OVERSIGHT
Like any other public authority in the UK, SIS is subject to British law. Laws of particular importance to the way SIS functions are the Intelligence Services Act 1994, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and the Human Rights Act 1998.
RIPA 2000 establishes the role of two Commissioners, who examine SIS's warranted or authorised operations retrospectively and monitor the Service's compliance with the law. The Commissioners visit SIS's headquarters and in line with their statutory powers inspect all relevant papers and question the staff directly responsible for the work concerned. The Intelligence Services Commissioner also visits SIS staff around the world to monitor, in the same way, legal compliance overseas. Each Commissioner produces an annual report, which is presented to the Prime Minister and then published. The report will contain details of sensitive work which can be withheld from publication on grounds of national security.
The two Commissioners are senior judges appointed by the Prime Minister. One examines the statutory conduct of the interception of communications by the agencies and the other looks at the statutory conduct of human and technical operations. The Interception of Communications Commissioner is the Rt Hon Sir Paul Kennedy. The Intelligence Services Commissioner is the Rt Hon Sir Peter Gibson.
