Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25) – Section 76 – Use of a single point of contact

Sections

Section 76Use of a single point of contact

(A1) [^F1 Before making an application for an authorisation under section 60A, the officer making the application must consult a person who is acting as a single point of contact in relation to the making of applications.]

(1) Before granting an authorisation [^F2under section 61 or 61A], the designated senior officer must consult a person who is acting as a single point of contact in relation to the granting of authorisations.

(2) But, if the [^F3officer or (as the case may be)] designated senior officer considers that there are exceptional circumstances which mean that [^F4subsection (A1) or (as the case may be) (1)] should not apply in a particular case, that subsection does not apply in that case.

(3) Examples of exceptional circumstances include—

(a)
an imminent threat to life or another emergency, or
(b)
the interests of national security.

(4) A person is acting as a single point of contact if that person—

(a)
is an officer of a relevant public authority, and
(b)
is responsible for advising—
- (i)
  officers of the relevant public authority about applying for authorisations [^F5(whether under section 60A, 61 or 61A)], or
- (ii)
  designated senior officers of the relevant public authority about granting authorisations.

(5) A person acting as a single point of contact may, in particular, advise an officer of a relevant public authority who is considering whether to apply for an authorisation about—

(a)
the most appropriate methods for obtaining data where the data concerned is processed by more than one telecommunications operator,
(b)
the cost, and resource implications, for—
- (i)
  the relevant public authority concerned of obtaining the data, and
- (ii)
  the telecommunications operator concerned of disclosing the data,
(c)
any unintended consequences of the proposed authorisation, and
(d)
any issues as to the lawfulness of the proposed authorisation.

(6) A person acting as a single point of contact may, in particular, advise a designated senior officer who is considering whether to grant an authorisation about—

(a)
whether it is reasonably practical to obtain the data sought in pursuance of the proposed authorisation,
(b)
the cost, and resource implications, for—
- (i)
  the relevant public authority concerned of obtaining the data, and
- (ii)
  the telecommunications operator concerned of disclosing the data,
(c)
any unintended consequences of the proposed authorisation, and
(d)
any issues as to the lawfulness of the proposed authorisation.

(7) A person acting as a single point of contact may also provide advice about—

(a)
whether requirements imposed by virtue of an authorisation have been met,
(b)
the use in support of operations or investigations of communications data obtained in pursuance of an authorisation, and
(c)
any other effects of an authorisation.

(8) Nothing in this section prevents a person acting as a single point of contact from also applying for, or being granted, an authorisation or, in the case of a designated senior officer, granting an authorisation.

Amended text

This Section is shown as amended by S.I. 2018/1123 (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 S. 76(A1) inserted (5.2.2019) by The Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1123), reg. 1(4)(d)(5), Sch. 1 para. 16(2) (see S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(c))
F2 Words in s. 76(1) inserted (5.2.2019) by The Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1123), reg. 1(4)(d)(5), Sch. 1 para. 16(3) (see S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(c))
F3 Words in s. 76(2) inserted (5.2.2019) by The Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1123), reg. 1(4)(d)(5), Sch. 1 para. 16(4)(a) (see S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(c))
F4 Words in s. 76(2) substituted (5.2.2019) by The Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1123), reg. 1(4)(d)(5), Sch. 1 para. 16(4)(b) (see S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(c))
F5 Words in s. 76(4)(b)(i) inserted (5.2.2019) by The Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1123), reg. 1(4)(d)(5), Sch. 1 para. 16(5) (see S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(c))

Commencement Information

I1 S. 76 in force at 5.2.2019 by S.I. 2019/174, reg. 2(d)

https://ipa.digiphile.law/article/article-76.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.