Chapter 1Interception and examination with a warrant
- Section 15Warrants that may be issued under this Chapter
(1) There are three kinds of warrant that may be issued under this Chapter— (a) targeted interception warrants (see subsection (2) ), (b) targeted examination warrants (see subsection…
- Section 16Obtaining secondary data
(1) This section has effect for the purposes of this Part. (2) In relation to a communication transmitted by means of a postal service, references to obtaining secondary…
- Section 17Subject-matter of warrants
(1) A warrant under this Chapter may relate to— (a) a particular person or organisation, or (b) a single set of premises. (2) In addition, a targeted interception…
- Section 18Persons who may apply for issue of a warrant
(1) Each of the following is an “intercepting authority” for the purposes of this Part— (a) a person who is the head of an intelligence service; (b) the…
- Section 19Power of Secretary of State to issue warrants
(1) The Secretary of State may, on an application made by or on behalf of an intercepting authority mentioned in section 18(1) (a) to (g), issue a targeted…
- Section 20Grounds on which warrants may be issued by Secretary of State
(1) This section has effect for the purposes of this Part. (2) A targeted interception warrant or targeted examination warrant is necessary on grounds falling within this section…
- Section 21Power of Scottish Ministers to issue warrants
(1) The Scottish Ministers may, on an application made by or on behalf of an intercepting authority mentioned in section 18(1) (a) to (g), issue a targeted interception…
- Section 22“Relevant Scottish applications”
(1) An application for the issue of a warrant under this Chapter is a “relevant Scottish application” for the purposes of this Chapter if any of conditions A…
- Section 23Approval of warrants by Judicial Commissioners
(1) In deciding whether to approve a person's decision to issue a warrant under this Chapter, a Judicial Commissioner must review the person's conclusions as to the following…
- Section 24Approval of warrants issued in urgent cases
(1) This section applies where— (a) a warrant under this Chapter is issued without the approval of a Judicial Commissioner, and (b) the person who decided to issue…
- Section 25Failure to approve warrant issued in urgent case
(1) This section applies where under section 24(3) a Judicial Commissioner refuses to approve the decision to issue a warrant. (2) The person to whom the warrant was…
- Section 26Members of Parliament etc.
(1) This section applies where— (a) an application is made to the Secretary of State for the issue of a targeted interception warrant or a targeted examination warrant,…
- Section 27Items subject to legal privilege
(1) Subsections (2) to (5) apply if— (a) an application is made by or on behalf of an intercepting authority for a warrant under this Chapter, and (b)…
- Section 28Confidential journalistic material
(1) This section applies if— (a) an application is made by or on behalf of an intercepting authority for a warrant under this Chapter, and (b) the purpose,…
- Section 29Sources of journalistic information
(1) This section applies if— (a) an application is made by or on behalf of an intercepting authority for a warrant under this Chapter, and (b) the purpose,…
- Section 30Decisions to issue warrants to be taken personally by Ministers
(1) The decision to issue a warrant under this Chapter must be taken personally by— (a) the Secretary of State, or (b) in the case of a warrant…
- Section 31Requirements that must be met by warrants
(1) A warrant under this Chapter must contain a provision stating whether it is a targeted interception warrant, a targeted examination warrant or a mutual assistance warrant. (2)…
- Section 32Duration of warrants
(1) A warrant under this Chapter ceases to have effect at the end of the relevant period (see subsection (2) ), unless— (a) it is renewed before the…
- Section 33Renewal of warrants
(1) If the renewal conditions are met, a warrant issued under this Chapter may be renewed, at any time during the renewal period, by an instrument issued by…
- Section 34Modification of warrants
(1) The provisions of a warrant issued under this Chapter may be modified at any time by an instrument issued by the person making the modification. (2) The…
- Section 35Persons who may make modifications
(1) A major modification may be made by— (a) the Secretary of State, in the case of a warrant issued by the Secretary of State, (b) a member…
- Section 36Further provision about modifications
(1) A person may make a modification within subsection (2) only if the person considers— (a) that the modification is necessary on any relevant grounds (see subsection (3)…
- Section 37Notification of major modifications
(1) As soon as is reasonably practicable after a person makes a major modification of a warrant under this Chapter, a Judicial Commissioner must be notified of the…
- Section 38Approval of major modifications made in urgent cases
(1) This section applies where a person makes a major modification of a warrant under this Chapter by virtue of section 35(3) . (2) This section also applies…
- Section 39Cancellation of warrants
(1) Any of the appropriate persons may cancel a warrant issued under this Chapter at any time. (2) If any of the appropriate persons considers that— (a) a…
- Section 40Special rules for certain mutual assistance warrants
(1) For the purposes of this section a warrant is a “relevant mutual assistance warrant” if— (a) the warrant is for the purposes of a request for assistance…
- Section 41Implementation of warrants
(1) This section applies to targeted interception warrants and mutual assistance warrants. (2) In giving effect to a warrant to which this section applies, the person to whom…
- Section 42Service of warrants
(1) This section applies to the service of warrants under section 41(3) . (2) A copy of the warrant must be served in such a way as to…
- Section 43Duty of operators to assist with implementation
(1) A relevant operator that has been served with a copy of a warrant to which section 41 applies by (or on behalf of) the intercepting authority must…
https://ipa.digiphile.law/part/part-2-chapter-1.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.