Lord Justice Fulford

Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office

IPCO provides independent oversight of the use of investigatory powers by intelligence agencies, police forces and other public authorities.

The Prime Minister approved the appointment of The Right Honourable Sir Adrian Fulford as Investigatory Powers Commissioner under the terms of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.

Recent Activity

  17/05/2018:  Sir Adrian Fulford: A message from the Commissioner Read...




Announcements

  • IPCO’s Advisory Notice on the Approval of Warrants, Authorisations and Notices by Judicial Commissioners
    03/04/2018

    IPCO is committed to being open and transparent, within the limits of the law and the constraints of the subject matter with which we are dealing. As part of this commitment to openness we are today publishing an Advisory Notice which has been issued internally, following extensive discussions with the Judicial Commissioners.

    This Notice has been agreed in order to provide a guide as to how the Judicial Commissioners will approach the information available to them when deciding whether to approve or refuse the Secretary of State’s decision to issue a warrant under IPA 2016. This is to ensure there is a clear understanding as to how the Commissioners will undertake this important task. We are clear, however, that the Notice does not bind the Judicial Commissioners in the exercise of this judicial function.

    We will keep this notice under continuous review, and it is likely it will be amended over time once we have experience of the new warrantry regime and we have received feedback.

    Download Advisory Notice

  • Security Service guidelines on the use of agents
    06/03/2018

    The Prime Minister today published the text of a direction to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to keep under review the application of the Security Service guidelines on the use of agents who participate in criminality and the authorisations issued in accordance with them.  This means that the Commissioner will in effect continue the oversight conducted by the Intelligence Services Commissioner, which since 2014 was conducted on a statutory basis under the previously SECRET 'Third Direction'. More information.

  • Direction on Consolidated Guidance
    13/02/2018

    Last August, the Prime Minister wrote to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner asking him to continue the oversight of the Consolidated Guidance to Intelligence Officers and Service Personnel on the Detention and Interviewing of Detainees Overseas, and on the Passing and Receipt of Intelligence Relating to Detainees, which had previous been carried out by the Intelligence Services Commissioner.  The IPC accepted the Prime Minister’s request, and has been carrying out this guidance since 1 September 2017.  We are today publishing a copy of the Prime Minister’s direction.