ParliLinc

This ongoing project seeks to examine the various mechanisms by which the UK parliament has sought to scrutinise the intelligence agencies and the government’s use of intelligence. Existing studies of parliamentary scrutiny of intelligence within the UK have focused almost exclusively on the work of the Intelligence and Security Committee. While the work of the ISC forms part our research, we have adopted a broader focus which seeks to examine the various other means by which parliament has sought to scrutinise the operation of the secret state including through parliamentary questions, debates and the work of select committees.
The project has resulted in the publication of a book, Watching the Watchers, and a number of journal articles. Ongoing research has examined the impact of recent reforms to the Intelligence and Security Committee and comparative work on legislative oversight in a number of states.