Who we are
About the Tribunal
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is an independent court, established under Section 65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
The Tribunal considers complaints under RIPA and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). It considers allegations of unlawful intrusion by public bodies, including the UK intelligence services, the Police and local authorities and investigates alleged conduct by or on behalf of the UK intelligence services whether or not it involves investigatory powers.
The Tribunal ensures the United Kingdom meets its obligations under Article 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR):
"Everyone whose rights and freedoms as set forth in this Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy before a national authority notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity."
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights described the Tribunal as providing “an effective remedy” for compliance with the rights enshrined in the ECHR in its judgment of 25 May 2021 Big Brother Watch v United Kingdom (paragraph 271).
RIPA and the IPA are the main sources of law that establish and regulate the covert powers available to public bodies to intrude on the privacy of members of the public. RIPA also provides a route through which to complain when someone believes these powers are being or have been used against them unlawfully – this Tribunal.
The Tribunal also considers complaints arising out of the use of powers by the UK Intelligence Services under sections 5 and 7 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994.
You can find the Tribunal Rules here.
Independence
The Tribunal is a judicial body, entirely independent of Parliament and Government. Judicial independence is enshrined in law under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. No organisation can intervene in our investigations or influence our decisions.
