The Home Affairs Committee is holding an inquiry into the case for statutory regulation of private investigators. In particular, the Committee is interested in:
- Why regulation has not already been introduced, ten years after the Security Industry Act established a statutory framework for it.
- Whether the case for statutory regulation has been made, including the potential for harm to both clients and subjects of investigations in the unregulated industry.
- Whether compulsory licensing should be part of the regulation and, if so, whether it should include competency criteria.
- The likely cost of regulation to Government and the industry.
Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by Tuesday 10 January 2012. Submissions should be no longer than 2,500 words.
Oral evidence sessions will be held in early 2012: further announcements will be made in due course.
Committee Chairman Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP said:
Following the Committee’s investigation into phone-hacking, it is important to look at the issue of private investigators. Public concern about the activities of private investigators has increased enormously in the last few years, yet the industry remains entirely unregulated. There are many reputable private investigators who provide a valuable service, but some elements of the industry still operate in the shadows.
We hope to discover the full extent of the activities of private investigators and to decide whether the public, as well as the reputable side of the industry, should be protected by a regime of statutory regulation.
The committee is keen to hear from private investigators themselves, as well as those who have been affected by their work.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Written evidence should if possible be in Word or rich text format—not PDF format—and sent by e-mail. The use of colour and expensive-to-print material, e.g. photographs, should be avoided. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.
Submissions must address the terms of reference. They should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary. Further guidance on the submission of evidence.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere, though previously published work can be referred to in a submission and submitted as supplementary material. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.
Please bear in mind that the Committee is not able to investigate individual cases.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
For data protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details in a covering letter or e-mail. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The remit of the Home Affairs Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.