Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner's speech on the Met's use of technology, published on 24 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing the police to adopt new AI policing tools without requiring additional legislation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
AI has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of policing, including by supporting investigations, reducing administrative burdens and helping officers make better use of evidence.
The Government is committed to enabling the responsible adoption of AI across policing through the new National Centre for AI in Policing (PoliceAI). PoliceAI will support forces to adopt AI responsibly, ensuring that tools are subject to appropriate technical testing, evaluation and scrutiny, to minimise bias and inaccuracy. It will support forces in demonstrating compliance with responsible AI adoption principles which includes public transparency and accountability measures.
To support transparency, PoliceAI will publish a public-facing national registry of police AI use, which will provide information about how tools are used, the benefits they deliver, the risks associated with their deployment, and the safeguards in place to mitigate those risks. It aims to produce a first version of the registry by the Autumn. The registry is intended to increase public confidence through maximum transparency by default, and PoliceAI will withhold funding for AI tools for those forces that have not completed registry entries for their deployed tools.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Metropolitan Police will be required to publish the algorithms they will use under the recently announced plans for data integration and exploitation on the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
AI has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of policing, including by supporting investigations, reducing administrative burdens and helping officers make better use of evidence.
The Government is committed to enabling the responsible adoption of AI across policing through the new National Centre for AI in Policing (PoliceAI). PoliceAI will support forces to adopt AI responsibly, ensuring that tools are subject to appropriate technical testing, evaluation and scrutiny, to minimise bias and inaccuracy. It will support forces in demonstrating compliance with responsible AI adoption principles which includes public transparency and accountability measures.
To support transparency, PoliceAI will publish a public-facing national registry of police AI use, which will provide information about how tools are used, the benefits they deliver, the risks associated with their deployment, and the safeguards in place to mitigate those risks. It aims to produce a first version of the registry by the Autumn. The registry is intended to increase public confidence through maximum transparency by default, and PoliceAI will withhold funding for AI tools for those forces that have not completed registry entries for their deployed tools.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the findings of the public consultation on police use of live facial recognition technology; and whether Parliament will have an opportunity to scrutinise those findings before the Metropolitan Police proceeds with its planned rollout to the West End and Soho by December 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is an established legal basis for use of live facial recognition technology, including by the Metropolitan Police service. This has been tested and confirmed by the Courts, and includes requirements for compliance with data protection, equality, and human rights laws. A number of public bodies are currently responsible for overseeing police, including the Metropolitan Police Service, use of live facial recognition technology. These bodies include the Information Commissioners Office, Equality and Human Rights Commission, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Independent Office for Police Conduct, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. In addition, users of the technology must comply with College of Policing guidance and their own published policies. To provide further confidence to both the public and policing that this technology is being used lawfully, and without bias the Government has committed to introducing a new legal framework, through the Police Reform Bill, to underpin law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. Through this framework we will make it clear when use of these technologies can be justified and applied consistently. Additionally, this framework will also establish a single, expert body to provide independent advice and oversight. To inform the new legal framework governing law enforcement use of facial recognition, biometrics and similar technologies, the Government launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025. The consultation explored when and how technologies like live facial recognition should be used and asked the public what factors are relevant to consider when assessing interference with privacy and other rights. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on Gov.uk. |
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what independent oversight body currently has responsibility for monitoring the Metropolitan Police's use of live facial recognition technology; and whether that body has the powers to require the force to pause its planned rollout.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is an established legal basis for use of live facial recognition technology, including by the Metropolitan Police service. This has been tested and confirmed by the Courts, and includes requirements for compliance with data protection, equality, and human rights laws. A number of public bodies are currently responsible for overseeing police, including the Metropolitan Police Service, use of live facial recognition technology. These bodies include the Information Commissioners Office, Equality and Human Rights Commission, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Independent Office for Police Conduct, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. In addition, users of the technology must comply with College of Policing guidance and their own published policies. To provide further confidence to both the public and policing that this technology is being used lawfully, and without bias the Government has committed to introducing a new legal framework, through the Police Reform Bill, to underpin law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. Through this framework we will make it clear when use of these technologies can be justified and applied consistently. Additionally, this framework will also establish a single, expert body to provide independent advice and oversight. To inform the new legal framework governing law enforcement use of facial recognition, biometrics and similar technologies, the Government launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025. The consultation explored when and how technologies like live facial recognition should be used and asked the public what factors are relevant to consider when assessing interference with privacy and other rights. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on Gov.uk. |
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what clear and consistent rules she intends to include in the dedicated legal framework for facial recognition technology to ensure the rights of the public are protected at all times; and when that framework will be brought before Parliament.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is an established legal basis for use of live facial recognition technology, including by the Metropolitan Police service. This has been tested and confirmed by the Courts, and includes requirements for compliance with data protection, equality, and human rights laws. A number of public bodies are currently responsible for overseeing police, including the Metropolitan Police Service, use of live facial recognition technology. These bodies include the Information Commissioners Office, Equality and Human Rights Commission, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Independent Office for Police Conduct, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. In addition, users of the technology must comply with College of Policing guidance and their own published policies. To provide further confidence to both the public and policing that this technology is being used lawfully, and without bias the Government has committed to introducing a new legal framework, through the Police Reform Bill, to underpin law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. Through this framework we will make it clear when use of these technologies can be justified and applied consistently. Additionally, this framework will also establish a single, expert body to provide independent advice and oversight. To inform the new legal framework governing law enforcement use of facial recognition, biometrics and similar technologies, the Government launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025. The consultation explored when and how technologies like live facial recognition should be used and asked the public what factors are relevant to consider when assessing interference with privacy and other rights. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on Gov.uk. |
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government will require the Metropolitan Police to pause its expansion of live facial recognition technology until the dedicated legal framework has been passed and scrutinised by Parliament.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is an established legal basis for use of live facial recognition technology, including by the Metropolitan Police service. This has been tested and confirmed by the Courts, and includes requirements for compliance with data protection, equality, and human rights laws. A number of public bodies are currently responsible for overseeing police, including the Metropolitan Police Service, use of live facial recognition technology. These bodies include the Information Commissioners Office, Equality and Human Rights Commission, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Independent Office for Police Conduct, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. In addition, users of the technology must comply with College of Policing guidance and their own published policies. To provide further confidence to both the public and policing that this technology is being used lawfully, and without bias the Government has committed to introducing a new legal framework, through the Police Reform Bill, to underpin law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. Through this framework we will make it clear when use of these technologies can be justified and applied consistently. Additionally, this framework will also establish a single, expert body to provide independent advice and oversight. To inform the new legal framework governing law enforcement use of facial recognition, biometrics and similar technologies, the Government launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025. The consultation explored when and how technologies like live facial recognition should be used and asked the public what factors are relevant to consider when assessing interference with privacy and other rights. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on Gov.uk. |
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in freight-related crime; and what measures her Department are implementing in collaboration with (a) police forces and (b) industry to reduce theft from commercial vehicles and logistics facilities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. This Government is determined to crack down on it. The incidence of cargo theft, where criminals rip the sides of lorries and take the goods inside, is frightening for those dedicated HGV drivers across the UK, and the perception this crime is low risk and high reward is unacceptable.
Freight crimes are not currently separately identifiable in the centrally held police recorded crime data. Crimes involving the theft of freight are recorded by the police within broader vehicle-related theft categories. In order to monitor trends, we are piloting the use of a flag on police crime recording systems which officers can use to indicate that the crime they are investigating is freight crime. Set against police priorities and the need to ensure burdens on the police are proportionate, we will keep the need for a separate freight crime recording code under review.
We are working closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime. We have regular discussions with key partners, including Opal, about tackling organised freight crime.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure there is independent scrutiny of Technical Capability Notices; and if she will introduce new (a) judicial and (b) parliamentary oversight.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 allows the Secretary of State to place obligations on telecommunications operators or postal operators through a Technical Capability Notice. A Technical Capability Notice itself does not require an operator to disclose any information. Instead, it requires the operator to have the capability to respond to an individual warrant or authorisation.
The Act governs these notices and provides extensive privacy safeguards and a robust oversight regime. Technical Capability Notices must be approved by an independent Judicial Commissioner. The procedures for the judicial oversight of Technical Capability Notices are detailed in the codes of practice for Communications Data, Interception of Communications, and Equipment Interference, which are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/investigatory-powers-act-codes-of-practice
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner must report annually on the carrying out of the functions of the Judicial Commissioner, with the report laid before Parliament.
The Act also provides for the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament to refer a matter to the Commissioner with a view to carrying out an investigation, inspection or audit.
The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 strengthened judicial oversight by introducing a requirement that existing technical capability notices are renewed if two years have passed since they were given, varied or last renewed. These renewals also require the approval of a Judicial Commissioner. The Government is currently implementing this Act.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure access requests under Technical Capability Notices are targeted.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Technical Capability Notices do not directly require the disclosure of data. It is the separate authorisations or warrants that allow access to data. Each authorisation or warrant addresses matters of necessity and proportionality and collateral intrusion specific to the case in question.
As part of the decision to give a Technical Capability Notice, the Secretary of State must consider, among other factors, the likely benefits of the notice, the likely number of users of a service to which the notice relates, and the technical feasibility and likely cost of compliance for the operator. In addition, the decision must include consideration of whether what is sought to be achieved by the notice could reasonably be achieved by other less intrusive means.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the contribution of encryption in protecting cyber security; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing access requests under Technical Capability Notices.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
This Government recognises the importance of online privacy and security safeguards such as strong encryption.
Technical Capability Notices can be used to maintain capabilities that provide for responsible and exceptional access to data by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with service provider assistance, without undermining user privacy or security.