Donald Cran investigates the Protection of Freedoms Bill
The Protection of Freedoms Bill has been laid before Parliament. Its aim is to reverse unwarranted state intrusion on private lives and what the Government saw as a gradual erosion of civil freedoms under the previous administration.
Often called the Great Repeal Bill, the measure is seen by some as the most important reform in civil liberties since the Bill of Rights 1689. Its major provisions are:
- Reduction in vetting and barring for volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults. In future only those in particularly sensitive positions, or who come into regular and intensive contact with children, will require clearance and monitoring. More than half of the nine million people who have needed checks in the past will no longer do so; in addition, the system of vetting is to be reviewed.
- Restriction on local authorities’ powers to use RIPA. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 may now only be used to investigate serious crime (which could attract a custodial sentence of six months or more). Its growing use for minor matters
