2026 No. 426

INVESTIGATORY POWERS

The Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) (Relevant Public Authorities) Regulations 2026

Made15th April 2026

Laid before Parliament20th April 2026

Coming into force11th May 2026

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 71(1), (2) and (2A) of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016¹.

1 Citation, commencement and extent¶

1 These Regulations may be cited as the Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) (Relevant Public Authorities) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 11th May 2026.

2 These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

2 Amendment to Schedule 4 to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016¶

1 The table in Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (table of authorities and officers etc.)² is amended as follows.

2 Omit the entries for the following relevant public authorities—

a East Midlands Ambulance Service;

b Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust;

c North West Ambulance Service;

d South East Coast Ambulance Service;

e West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Explanatory Note¶

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend Schedule 4 to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25). Schedule 4 sets out the public authorities, other than local authorities, who may exercise powers under Part 3 of that Act to obtain communications data (“communications data” is defined in section 261(5) of that Act). It sets out the requirements for authorisations for obtaining communications data, including: the relevant statutory purposes, the types of communications data, the kinds of senior officer capable of providing an authorisation and the circumstances in which they can provide an authorisation.

Regulation 2(2) removes the relevant ambulance services in England and Northern Ireland from Schedule 4 so that they no longer have powers to obtain communications data.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.

Footnotes

1
2016 c. 25. Section 71(2) was amended, and section 71(2A) was inserted, by S.I. 2018/1123.
2
The table in Part 1 of Schedule 4 (which sets out relevant public authorities and any designated senior officers for the purposes of Part 3 of that Act) was substituted by S.I. 2018/1123 and amended by S.I. 2020/661, S.I. 2020/1037, S.I. 2022/1395, S.I. 2025/808, and paragraph 2 of Schedule 4, and paragraphs 43 to 47 of Schedule 5, to the Armed Forces Act 2021 (c. 35).