ELIZABETH II
c. 5
Security Service Act 1989
1989 CHAPTER 5
An Act to place the Security Service on a statutory basis; to enable
certain actions to be taken on the authority of warrants issued by
the Secretary of State, with provision for the issue of such
warrants to be kept under review by a Commissioner; to establish
a procedure for the investigation by a Tribunal or, in some cases,
by the Commissioner of complaints about the Service; and for
connected purposes.
[27th April 1989]
ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and
with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal,
and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the
authority of the same, as follows:—
B
E IT
1.—(1) There shall continue to be a Security Service (in this Act referred The Security
Service.
to as "the Service") under the authority of the Secretary of State.
(2) The function of the Service shall be the protection of national
security and, in particular, its protection against threats from espionage,
terrorism and sabotage, from the activities of agents of foreign powers
and from actions intended to overthrow or undermine parliamentary
democracy by political, industrial or violent means.
(3) It shall also be the function of the Service to safeguard the
economic well-being of the United Kingdom against threats posed by the
actions or intentions of persons outside the British Islands.
2.—(l) The operations of the Service shall continue to be under the
control of a Director-General appointed by the Secretary of State.
(2) The Director-General shall be responsible for the efficiency of the
Service and it shall be his duty to ensure—
(a) that there are arrangements for securing that no information is
obtained by the Service except so far as necessary for the proper
discharge of its functions or disclosed by it except so far as
necessary for that purpose or for the purpose of preventing or
detecting serious crime; and
The DirectorGeneral.