§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many Members of Parliament MI5 holds files, and whether the Prime Minister has access to these files; and
What action they are taking to limit and reduce the internal surveillance activities of the secret service.
§ Lord GlenarthurIn line with the policy which successive Governments have followed, it is not the practice to disclose detailed information about security matters.
Under the terms of its directive, the task of the security service is the defence of the realm as a whole from external and internal dangers arising from attempts at espionage or sabotage, or from actions of persons or organisations, whether directed from within or without the country, which may be judged to be subversive of the state. The directive also makes clear that the work of the service must be strictly limited to what is necessary for the purposes of the foregoing task, and that Ministers do not concern themselves with the detailed information which may be obtained by the security service in particular cases.
In its work on subversion, the service applies the definition of subversive activities given in your Lordships' House by the noble Lord, Lord Harris of Greenwich, on 26th February 1975:
those which threaten the safety or well-being of the State, and which are intended to undermine or overthrow Parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means". [Official Report, 26th February 1975; col. 947].Both limbs of the definition must apply before an activity can properly be regarded as subversive, and the Government believe that the strict application of the definition sets the right limits for investigations and surveillance carried out on these grounds.