To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from UK law enforcement agencies on the operation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 since 2000; and whether he plans to review the operation of the Act. (119796)

[holding answer 8 February 2007]: Prompted partly by representations from police forces, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office have conducted a review of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The review identified that some practices and processes associated with the legislation are excessively bureaucratic. The Home Office is currently working with ACPO, the Office of Surveillance Commissioners, the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office and, from April, the National Policing Improvement Agency, to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy whilst ensuring that surveillance which does intrude into people’s lives is properly authorised and undertaken lawfully.