Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ruling by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on 17 December into the actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Metropolitan Police regarding the investigation of journalists in Northern Ireland.

The Government has noted the detailed Investigatory Powers Tribunal judgment in this case. The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has already accepted the Tribunal’s judgment that due consideration was not given to whether there was an overriding public interest in interfering with journalistic sources before authorising surveillance. And although officers complied with UK law and procedure at the time, a 2013 authorisation for communications data was a breach of the PSNI’s human rights obligations. The Tribunal dismissed the complaint that the police had unlawfully obtained information and communications data by non-statutory means.

The Chief Constable has stated that he will take time to consider and reflect on the judgment and along with the findings of the McCullough Review, to consider what further steps the PSNI can take. The McCullough Review is an independent review of PSNI use of surveillance against sensitive professions. The Northern Ireland Policing Board has asked for the McCullough Report to be provided by 31 March 2025.