50
Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Annual Report 2019
8.61
In our 2018 report, we noted that MI5 was attaching a range of caveats to intelligence
passed to foreign liaison partners and sometimes used the wrong caveat. All of the caveats
we saw on our 2019 inspection had been used appropriately.
8.62
We identified one instance where MI5 failed promptly to investigate allegations of
mistreatment which appeared in an intelligence report. Owing to competing priorities,
the report’s content was not reviewed in detail by the relevant team for several weeks;
once the allegation had been spotted, it was then referred to the relevant specialist team
in UKIC for assessment. However, UKIC were having regular discussions with partners to
monitor the general compliance situation in the country in question during this time. We
were satisfied with how the issue was handled from the point of it being referred to the
specialist team but would not expect delays of this kind to occur in the future. Following
investigation, it was determined the allegation was not credible.