Intelligence and security committee

The Intelligence and Security Committee was established by the Intelligence Service Act 1994. It is formed of 9 Parliamentarians drawn from both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and appointed by the Prime Minister to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the intelligence and security agencies: the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Headquarters.

The Committee reports annually to the Prime Minister on its work. These annual reports, after any redactions of sensitive material, are then laid before both Houses of Parliament, together with the government’s response, and debated.