Security Commission

Last updated October 19, 2019

The Security Commission, sometimes known as the Standing Security Commission,^[1] was a UK non-departmental public body or quango established in 1964 to investigate breaches of security in the public sector. It was abolished in 2010, on the basis that government would investigate breaches of security as and when they occurred.

In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to quangos. NDPBs are not an integral part of any government department and carry out their work at arm's length from ministers, although ministers are ultimately responsible to Parliament for the activities of bodies sponsored by their department.

A quango or QUANGO is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation. It is typically an organisation to which a government has devolved power, but which is still partly controlled and/or financed by government bodies. As its name suggests, a quango is a hybrid form of organization, with elements of both non-government organizations (NGOs) and public sector bodies. The concept is most often applied in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser degree, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States, and other English-speaking countries.

Origins

The idea of the Security Commission, initially canvassed by the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, was first publicly suggested by his successor Sir Alec Douglas-Home in a Parliamentary debate about the Denning Report into the Profumo affair on 16 December 1963. Douglas-Home envisaged that the commission would consist of retired civil servants and would be chaired by someone from the judiciary. It was to investigate matters referred to it by the Prime Minister of the day and issue its reports back to the Prime Minister, with the Leader of the Opposition consulted before any inquiry and after the report was completed.^[2] Douglas-Home met with the Leader of the Opposition Harold Wilson (who had given a cautious welcome to the proposal) on 22 January to agree the details.^[3]

Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Dubbed "Supermac", he was known for his pragmatism, wit and unflappability.

Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964. He was the last Prime Minister to hold office while a member of the House of Lords, before renouncing his peerage and taking up a seat in the House of Commons for the remainder of his premiership. His reputation, however, rests more on his two spells as Britain's foreign minister than on his brief premiership.

The Profumo affair was a British political scandal that originated with a brief sexual relationship in 1961 between John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, and Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old would-be model. In March 1963, Profumo's denial of any impropriety, in a personal statement to the House of Commons, was refuted a few weeks later with his admission of the truth. He resigned from the government and from Parliament. The repercussions of the affair severely damaged Macmillan's self-confidence, and he resigned as Prime Minister on health grounds in October 1963. The reputation of the Conservative Party was damaged by the scandal, which may have contributed to its defeat by the Labour Party in the 1964 general election.

Formation

On 23 January 1964 the formation of the Security Commission was announced, with the terms of reference:^[1]

If so requested by the Prime Minister, to investigate and report upon the circumstances in which a breach of security is known to have occurred in the public service and upon any related failure of departmental security arrangements or neglect of duty; and, in the light of any such investigations, to advise whether any change in security arrangements is necessary or desirable.

Harold Wilson expanded the remit on 10 May 1965 to allow the Commission to investigate circumstances where a breach of security might have occurred.^[4]

Reports

The Security Commission issued fifteen reports during its existence.

Date	Composition	Circumstances	Reference
June 1965	Lord Justice Winn Lord Normanbrook Sir Caspar John	Convictions of civil servants Frank Clifton Bossard and Percy Sidney Allen under s. 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 2722
July 1966	Lord Justice Winn Lord Sinclair of Cleeve Sir Dudley Ward	Discovery of classified documents at the home of Squadron Leader Peter John Reen RAF, to which he had official access before he retired in 1961	Cmnd. 3151
June 1967	Lord Justice Winn Sir Caspar John Sir Dudley Ward	Circumstances in which Miss Helen Mary Keenan, typist in the Cabinet Office, had been charged under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 3365
November 1968	Lord Justice Winn Sir Dudley Ward Sir Harold Kent	Circumstances in which Douglas Ronald Britten, a Chief Technician in the RAF, pleaded guilty to offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 3856
January 1969	Lord Justice Winn Lord Sinclair of Cleeve Sir Dudley Ward	Circumstances in which Clive Edwin Bland, photoprinter in the Ministry of Technology, pleaded guilty to offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 3892
May 1973	Lord Diplock Lord Sinclair of Cleeve Sir Dudley Ward	Circumstances in which Sub-Lieutenant David James Bingham and Mr Leonard Michael Hinchliffe pleaded guilty to offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 5362
July 1973	Lord Diplock Lord Sinclair of Cleeve Sir Dudley Ward Lord Garner Sir Philip Allen	To verify that security was not endangered as a result of incidents leading to the resignations from the Government of Earl Jellicoe and Lord Lambton	Cmnd. 5367
May 1981	Lord Diplock Lord Bridge of Harwich Lord Greenhill of Harrow Sir Horace Law	Circumstances in which John Barry Wagstaff, Ministry of Defence civil servant, had been charged with an offence under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 8235
May 1983	Lord Bridge of Harwich Lord Justice Griffiths Lord Allen of Abbeydale Sir Hugh Beach	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of Geoffrey Arthur Prime, convicted under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 8876
March 1984	Lord Bridge of Harwich Lord Justice Griffiths Lord Allen of Abbeydale Sir Hugh Beach	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of Lance Corporal Philip Leslie Aldridge, convicted under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 9212
May 1985	Lord Bridge of Harwich Lord Allen of Abbeydale Sir Michael Palliser Sir Alasdair Steedman	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of Michael John Bettaney, convicted under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cmnd. 9514
October 1986	Lord Griffiths Lord Justice Lloyd Lord Allen of Abbeydale Sir Hugh Beach	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of eight members of 9 Signal Regiment who have been charged under the Official Secrets Act 1911, and any similarities with the case of Senior Aircraftsman Paul John Davies who has been charged with a similar offence	Cmnd. 9923
July 1995	Lord Lloyd of Berwick Sir John Blelloch Sir Derek Boorman Lord Tombs	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of Michael John Smith, convicted under the Official Secrets Act 1911	Cm. 2930
February 2000	Lord Lloyd of Berwick Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss Sir John Foley Sir Clive Whitmore	Breaches of security which may have occurred arising out of the case of Chief Petty Officer Steven Hayden, convicted under the Official Secrets Act 1989	Cm. 4578
May 2004	Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss Sir Charles Mantell Sir John Goulden Sir Iain Vallance	To review vetting of those who join or belong to the Royal Households, those working closely with them, or who otherwise gain access to Royal residences	Cm. 6177

Members

Latterly its members were:

The Rt Hon Lady Justice Butler-Sloss, DBE (Chairman)
The Rt Hon Lord Justice Mantell (Alternative chairman)
Lieutenant General Sir John Foley, KCB OBE MC
Sir Clive Whitmore, GCB CVO
Sir Iain Vallance
Sir John Goulden, GCMG

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Sir Charles Barrie Knight Mantell, PC was a High Court judge in England and Wales, notable for presiding at the trial of Rosemary West.

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External links

The Security Commission website (UK Government web archive)

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References

1 2 Geoffrey Philip Wilson, "Cases and materials on constitutional and administrative law", Cambridge University Press, 1976 p. 98.
↑ "Prime Minister's Proposals for Security Commission". The Times. 17 December 1963. p. 8.
↑ "Talks With Opposition on Security". The Times. 21 January 1964. p. 10.
↑ "The Security Commission". Cabinet Office. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2013.

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[Wilson-1] 1 2 Geoffrey Philip Wilson, "Cases and materials on constitutional and administrative law", Cambridge University Press, 1976 p. 98.

[2] "Prime Minister's Proposals for Security Commission". The Times. 17 December 1963. p. 8.

[3] "Talks With Opposition on Security". The Times. 21 January 1964. p. 10.

[4] "The Security Commission". Cabinet Office. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2013.