asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is satisfied that the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1969 and other legislation are adequate safeguards against the illicit use of bugging devices;(2) what action has been taken on the Recommendations 53(ii), (iii) and (iv) of the Younger Committee on Privacy, Command Paper No. 5012, 1972;(3) if he is satisfied that the laws and regulations governing the importation of surveillance equipment are adequate; and whether any changes are contemplated.
The Government are carefully considering the recommendations put forward by the Younger Committee on Privacy for controls over surveillance devices. But there are difficult problems of definition to be solved if the Committee's very broad proposals are to be translated into effective legislation.