The Security Commission, sometimes known as the Standing Security Commission,Geoffrey Philip Wilson, "Cases and materials on constitutional and administrative law", Cambridge University Press, 1976 p. 98. was a UK

non-departmental public body 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 public sector organisations that have a role in the process of n ...

quango A quango or QUANGO (less often QuANGO or QANGO) is an organisation to which a government has devolved power, but which is still partly controlled and/or financed by government bodies. The term was originally a shortening of "quasi-NGO", where NG ...

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.

Origins

The idea of the Security Commission, initially canvassed by the Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as "Supermac", he ...

, was first publicly suggested by his successor Sir

Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative politician who se ...

in a Parliamentary debate about the Denning Report into the

Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in twentieth-century Politics of the United Kingdom, British politics. John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative Party (UK), Conservative government, had an extramar ...

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 The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. 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. Douglas-Home met with the Leader of the Opposition

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

(who had given a cautious welcome to the proposal) on 22 January to agree the details.

Formation

On 23 January 1964 the formation of the Security Commission was announced, with the terms of reference: Harold Wilson expanded the remit on 10 May 1965 to allow the Commission to investigate circumstances where a breach of security might have occurred.

Reports

The Security Commission issued fifteen reports during its existence.

Members

Latterly its members were: *The

Rt Hon ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

Lady Justice Butler-Sloss, DBE (Chairman) *The

Lord Justice Mantell (Alternative chairman) *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir John Foley, KCB OBE MC *Sir

Clive Whitmore Sir Clive Anthony Whitmore (born 18 January 1935) is a former British senior civil servant. Whitmore was educated at Sutton Grammar School in Surrey and Christ's College, Cambridge. Whitmore served as Principal Private Secretary to Margaret Tha ...

, GCB CVO *Sir Iain Vallance *Sir John Goulden,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

External links

The Security Commission website
(UK Government web archive)

References

1964 establishments in the United Kingdom 2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Cabinet Office (United Kingdom) Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Government agencies established in 1964 Government agencies disestablished in 2010 {{UK-gov-stub