Warrant granting departments are government departments whose ministers have the authority to authorise warrants (the Home Office; the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; the Northern Ireland Office; and the Safer Communities Directorate of the Scottish Government).
Warrant granting departments are responsible for reviewing all applications submitted by the intelligence agencies or law enforcement agencies for approval, and then submitting them to ministers once they are satisfied that the paperwork is in order. They provide challenge or will seek additional information or clarity where they feel this is necessary.
We inspect these departments on an annual basis to ensure that they have provided the necessary high level of scrutiny to applications submitted to them.