COUNCILS will have powers to run undercover agents and secret surveillance to halt fraud or crime under government proposals.

Undercover operations could also be mounted by fire authorities, Jobcentres, the Postal Services Commission, the Gaming Board, the Charity Commissioners and many other statutory bodies.

As the powers were laid before Parliament for debate yesterday the Home Office said that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act regularised current practices.

The plans were attacked as a “snoopers’ charter” last year, particularly the proposals to give state and local agencies access to telephone, internet and e-mail records.

Safeguards brought in by the Home Office after the earlier uproar include restricting the type of information that authorities can access and the reasons why they can seek it. Only designated senior officials will be able to order the data and regular checks will be made by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, Sir Swinton Thomas.

Caroline Flint, a Home Office Minister, said: “We have consulted widely. We have dramatically cut down the numbers of organisations who will be allowed access to all communications data and signally tightened up the procedures for access.”

She said that the 12-month period for companies to hold internet material would be voluntary. It could be made compulsory if not followed.

Liberty challenged the need for the surveillance powers by public bodies. Shami Chakrabati, its director, said: “This underlines the uncomfortable fact that the British public are the most spied-upon people in the Western world.”

Simon Davies, a member of Privacy International, said that very little had changed in the proposals. The only bodies removed from original plans were parish councils, and the oversight was not satisfactory.

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