§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will set out the rules or conventions governing covert penetration of political parties by police and by the Security Service. [HL2311]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)Part II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) governs the authorisation, conduct and use of covert human intelligence sources by the police, the Security Service and other public bodies. The Security Service may only act in accordance with its statutory remit as set out in Section 1 of the Security Service Act 1989, as amended by the Security Service Act 1996.