The objective of the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP) is to maintain the UK’s Lawful Intercept and Communications Data capabilities in the changing communications environment. It is a cross-government programme, led by the Home Office, to ensure that our capability to lawfully intercept and exploit data when fighting crime and terrorism is not lost. It was established in response to the Prime Minister’s National Security remit in 2006.
As part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR 07) a central bid was made to HM Treasury on behalf of the security and intelligence agencies. Funding for IMP was included in this bid.
The IMP will require a substantial level of investment which will need to tie in with the Government’s three-year CSR periods. The scale of overall economic investment is very difficult to calculate because of the complexity of the project and wide ranging implementation solutions currently being considered.
Given the commercial and national security sensitivities, the precise costs of the programme cannot be disclosed. Further detail on budgetary estimates for the IMP will however become available once the public consultation process (announced by the Home Secretary on 15 October) commences in the new year.