Cllr Fleming proposed and Cllr Ramsay seconded that (a) the report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner be noted; (b) The revised Surveillance Policy, as set out in Appendix B to the report, be noted; and (c) An annual report with quarterly updates be made to Councillors by email in addition to being available on the Members Electronic Portal.

The report recommended the adoption of a revised surveillance policy and the approval of reporting arrangements to Elected Members  following an inspection by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner.

On 19^th June 2013, the Council was inspected by the Officer of the Surveillance Commissioner (OSC).  These inspections were carried out on a three yearly basis.  The Council received a report from the OSC and contained within the report were a small number of recommendations, including some minor changes to the Council’s surveillance policy.

The report of the OSC made 3 recommendations:

• Elected members of a local authority should review the authority’s use of the 2000 Act and set out the policy at least once a year.  They should also consider internal reports on the use of the 2000 Act on at least a quarterly basis to ensure that it is being used consistently with the local authority’s policy and that the policy remains fit for purpose.  They should not however, be involved in making decisions on specific authorisations. 

• The Council ensure that the extant recommendations of 2010 with regard to training is acted upon without delay.

• The future training encompasses the following issues:

The applicant for directed surveillance understands that they not only have to set out the investigation objectives of the covert activity along with a narrative of the intelligence but an outline of the provenance of the intelligence. 

That the covert activity should be reviewed during the period of authorisation.

The above recommendations had been addressed in that it was being recommended to Council that it agreed that an annual report with quarterly updates be made to Councillors through the Members’ Electronic Portal.  Training for Officers had also been organised.

Resolved: That

(a)   The report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner be noted;

(b)   The revised Surveillance Policy, as set out in Appendix B to the report, be noted; and

(c)     An annual report with quarterly updates be made to Councillors by email in addition to being available on the Members Electronic Portal.