Surveillance

Home Office written question – answered at on 30 October 2014.

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Photo of Keith Vaz Keith Vaz Chair, Home Affairs Committee, Chair, Home Affairs Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her Department has used the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to access communications data, in each year since the coming into force of that Act.

Photo of James Brokenshire James Brokenshire Minister of State (Home Office) (Security and Immigration)

The total number of communications data items processed by the Home Office each year since the enactment of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 is set out in the table below.

Year

Number of requests processed

2002

53

2003

751

2004

360

2005

1373

2006

1078

2007

1220

2008

1028

2009 (Apr-Dec only)

796

2010

2813

2011

4032

2012

5020

2013

6056

The operational directorates of the Home Office obtain communications data for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime as part of immigration and border functions as well as in anti-corruption investigations. In addition, it obtains the data in the interests of public safety and to prevent the escape of lawfully detained persons from the immigration detention estate.

The figures for 2000 to 2008 represent the total number of communications data applications per year, rather than those that were

approved, resulting in requests for communications data being made. Some of these applications were ultimately withdrawn, rejected by the designated person or cancelled before the data was acquired from the service provider. Figures for 2009 are only available for April to December of that year.

Figures from 2010 to 2013 represent the number of communications data items that were applied for, authorised and obtained from service providers.

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