§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many advanced fee fraud letters he estimates have come to the UK from(a) overseas and (b) Nigeria in each of the last five years; and what powers he has, in the case of operations known to the police, to intercept such letters before they reach their intended recipients. [158356]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 23 April 2001]: Figures for the number of advance fee fraud letters which arrive in the United Kingdom are not held centrally.
Under section 5 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Secretary of State may authorise the interception of postal items where this is necessary in the interests of national security; for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime; or of safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom.