Telephone Tapping

HC Deb 16 July 1987 vol 119 cc602-3W

13. Mr. Skinner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many warrants authorising telephone taps have been issued in 1987 to the present time.

38. Mr. Cryer

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone tapping warrants he has issued in 1987 to the most recent practicable date.

Mr. Hurd

The number of telecommunication warrants issued by the Home Secretary in force on 31 December 1986 was 206. The figures were given in an annex to the report of the Commissioner, the right hon. Lord Justice Lloyd, on the first year of operation of the Interception of Communications Act 1985 which was presented to Parliament in March 1987 (Cmnd 108). I do not propose to publish statistics additional to those in the Commissioner's Report.