Introduction
From 1 August to 15 September 2000, the DTI[BERR] conducted a public consultation exercise on draft Lawful Business Practice Regulations, which were made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act 2000. The RIP Act established a basic principle that communications may not be intercepted without consent. The Regulations make an exception to this rule and allow businesses to intercept communications without consent for certain legitimate purposes such as for quality control and staff training purposes.
As part of the consultation exercise, the DTI[BERR] published a Consultation Paper, which described the legislative background to the Regulations and invited comments on its proposals. The Department also conducted extensive informal discussions with key representative organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry and British Chambers of Commerce and received over 80 consultation responses from businesses, charities, representative organisations and private individuals.
The Government was grateful for the efforts that consultees made to comment in detail on its proposals. The attached documents outlines the main issues raised during the consultation and the steps taken to address respondents' concerns. Also, the final text of the Regulations is provided including a set of Notes for Business, which were issued to explain the new rules. The Regulations were made on 2 October and came into force on 24 October 2000.
Documents for Download:
(307KB)The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000