fact, read, looked at or listened to. The Interception of
Communications Commissioner is under a duty to review the
adequacy of those arrangements.
Urgent authorisation of a section 8(4) warrant
6.16. RIPA makes provision (section 7(l)(b)) for cases in which an
interception warrant is required urgently, yet the Secretary of State is
not available to sign the warrant. In these cases the Secretary of State
will still personally authorise the interception but the warrant is
signed by a senior official, following discussion of the case between
officials and the Secretary of State. RIPA restricts the issue of
warrants in this way to urgent cases where the Secretary of State has
personally and expressly authorised the issue of the warrant (section
7(2)(a)), and requires the warrant to contain a statement to that effect
(section 7(4)(a)).
6.17. A warrant issued under the urgency procedure lasts for five
working days following the date of issue unless renewed by the
Secretary of State, in which case it expires after three months in the
case of serious crime or six months in the case of national security or
economic well-being, in the same way as other section 8(4) warrants.
Format of a section 8(4) warrant
6.18. Each warrant is addressed to the person who submitted the
application. A copy may then be served upon such providers of
communications services as he or she believes will be able to assist in
implementing the interception. CSPs will not normally receive a copy
of the certificate. The warrant should include the following:
• A description of the communications to be intercepted;
• The warrant reference number; and
• Details of the persons who may subsequently modify the certificate
applicable to the warrant in an urgent case (if authorised in
accordance with section 10(7) of RIPA).
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