Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) – Section 226GC – Decisions to issue warrants to be taken personally by Secretary of State
Sections
Section 226GC[F1Decisions to issue warrants to be taken personally by Secretary of State
(1) The decision to issue a third party BPD warrant must be taken personally by the Secretary of State.
(2) Before a third party BPD warrant is issued, it must be signed by the Secretary of State.
(3) But if it is not reasonably practicable for a third party BPD warrant to be signed by the Secretary of State, it may be signed by a senior official designated by the Secretary of State for that purpose.
(4) In such a case, the warrant must contain a statement that—
- (a)it is not reasonably practicable for the warrant to be signed by the Secretary of State, and
- (b)the Secretary of State has personally and expressly authorised the issue of the warrant.]
Amended text
This Section is shown as amended by Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 (see the annotations below), as incorporated in the text in force on 7 October 2026 as published on legislation.gov.uk.
Annotations
Textual Amendments
- F1 Pt. 7B inserted (14.10.2024 for specified purposes, 25.4.2025 in so far as not already in force) by Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 (c. 9), ss. 5, 32(2); S.I. 2024/1021, reg. 2(e); S.I. 2025/501, reg. 2
https://ipa.digiphile.law/article/article-226GC.html
Text as at 7 October 2026.
This is an unofficial convenience version of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. It is presented “as is” without guarantee of accuracy, completeness or reliability. See the source text for the official version. This site was last updated in October 2026.