Two new RIPA Commissioners appointed
The Prime Minister appears to have appointed two new Commissioners under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000:
- The Right Honourable Sir Peter Gibson as the Intelligence Services Commissioner.
- The Right Honourable Sir Paul Kennedy as the Interception of Communications Commissioner.
Intelligence Services CommissionerThe Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair): I am pleased to announce that I have approved the appointment of the right hon. Sir Peter Gibson as Intelligence Services Commissioner under the terms of section 59 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
The appointment will commence on 1 April 2006 and will run for three years.
The Right Honourable Sir Peter Gibson replaces the Right Honourable Lord Justice Simon Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood as Intelligence Services Commissioner
"The Right Honourable Sir Peter Gibson (71) was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1960. He served as a Justice of the High Court, assigned to the Chancery Division, from 1981 to 1993 and was Chairman of the Law Commission from 1990 to 1992. He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in 1993 and retired from that office in 2005."
Similarly
Interception of Communications CommissionerThe Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair): I am pleased to announce that I have approved the appointment of the right hon. Sir Paul Kennedy as Interception of Communications Commissioner under the terms of section 57 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
The appointment will commence on 11 April 2006 and will run for three years.
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The Right Honourable Sir Paul Kennedy replaces the Right Honourable Sir Swinton Thomas as Interception of Communications Commissioner.
"Sir Paul Kennedy (70) was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1960 and took silk in 1973. He served as a Justice of the High Court, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, from 1983 to 1992. He was Presiding Judge of the North Eastern Circuit from 1985 to 1989. He served as Lord Justice of Appeal from 1992 to 2005 and also as Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division from 1997 to 2002."
We will be interested to see if Sir Paul Kennedy continues what Sir Swinton Thomas started, with respect to pressing the Prime Minister Tony Blair for clarification of the "Wilson Doctrine", regarding the intereception of communications of Members of Parliament.
The title "the Right Honourable" means that all of these gentlemen are Privy Counsellors
Copies of these Cmmissioners' annual reports (.pdf) for the last couple of years, are availabele online from the Judicial Oversight section of the Security Service MI5 website.