Intelligence Services Act 1994

6Warrants: procedure and duration, etc

(1)A warrant shall not be issued except—

(a)under the hand of the Secretary of State; or

(b)in an urgent case where the Secretary of State has expressly authorised its issue and a statement of that fact is endorsed on it, under the hand of a senior official of his department.

(2)A warrant shall, unless renewed under subsection (3) below, cease to have effect—

(a)if the warrant was under the hand of the Secretary of State, at the end of the period of six months beginning with the day on which it was issued; and

(b)in any other case, at the end of the period ending with the second working day following that day.

(3)If at any time before the day on which a warrant would cease to have effect the Secretary of State considers it necessary for the warrant to continue to have effect for the purpose for which it was issued, he may by an instrument under his hand renew it for a period of six months beginning with that day.

(4)The Secretary of State shall cancel a warrant if he is satisfied that the action authorised by it is no longer necessary.

(5)In the preceding provisions of this section “warrant” means a warrant under section 5 above.

(6)As regards the Security Service, this section and section 5 above have effect in place of section 3 (property warrants) of the 1989 Act, and accordingly—

(a)a warrant issued under that section of the 1989 Act and current when this section and section 5 above come into force shall be treated as a warrant under section 5 above, but without any change in the date on which the warrant was in fact issued or last renewed; and

(b)section 3 of the 1989 Act shall cease to have effect.