Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Iain Stewart and Jeremy Wright

Thursday 26th November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con)]

8. What assessment he has made of the importance of communications data in securing prosecutions.

[The Attorney General (Jeremy Wright)]

Communications data are an essential form of evidence used in prosecutions across the full spectrum of criminal offences, including terrorism, serious and organised crime, child sexual abuse, murder and rape. It is important for that capability to be maintained and modernised, which is why the Government have published the draft Investigatory Powers Bill.

--- Later in debate ---

[Iain Stewart]

In addition to the offences to which my right hon. and learned Friend has already alluded, could communications data not also help secure prosecutions in areas such as stalking and sexual grooming?

[The Attorney General]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a large range of offences to which this might be relevant—essentially, types of offending where whether someone communicated with another person and where they were when they did so is relevant. One can think of conspiracies of all kinds, cases involving paedophile rings or drug-smuggling operations, harassment, which he mentioned, witness intimidation or even something as diverse as insider trading. There is a huge range of offending that we need to deal with in this way.