AUTHORISATION FOR BUGGING SHOULD BE CLEAR AND UNAMBIGUOUS - HEATH

8.06.09pm GMT Mon 4th Feb 2008

Responding to this afternoon's statement from Jack Straw on the alleged bugging of a Muslim MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Heath said:

"If the system were working properly then the audit trail of authorisation should be clear and unambiguous. There should be no element of doubt as to who authorised the surveillance.

This episode underlines the need to revisit the Wilson Doctrine and examine whether a system for all forms of intercept when it relates to MPs should require the highest level of authorisation by a senior, independent judicial figure, such as the Lord Chief Justice.

The fact that it appears that police officers do not know the rules about surveillance in a country where 653 state bodies have the power to intercept private communications, underlines the desperate need for Parliament to exercise rigour in examining any applications for yet more extension to surveillance powers."