Issue - meetings

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support

In line with the Scottish Government Code of Practice on Covert Surveillance and Property Interference, the Committee gave consideration to the annual report on the use of The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 (RIPSA). 

The Governance and Risk Manager advised that the Council had recently had its 2 yearly inspection of the governance and procedural arrangements for complying with the requirements of RIPSA and the Code of Practice by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO).  He advised that the Commissioners report on the inspection on 5 March confirmed that he was satisfied that relevant staff continue to be sufficiently knowledgeable and proficient in the processes required to ensure compliance when deploying covert tactics and he was confident that those charged with compliance and governance with RIPSA are fully invested in ensuring the Council will adopt best practice when using covert tactics.

Decision

The Audit and Scrutiny Committee agreed to note the terms of the report. 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support, dated 16 March 2021, submitted)