'Snooping Bill' enters last lap as opposition unites

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Bill faces its final hurdle today as it returns to the House of Lords for its report stage.

The reading marks the last chance for opposition peers to force changes to the legislation, following the release of a draft 'code of practice' to accompany the Bill on Monday.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers are proposing 102 amendments, including the creation of a Technical Advisory Board to oversee implementation of the Bill.

The amendment - proposed by Lord Cope and Lord McNally, and backed by leading industry campaigners - is designed to provide expert consultation to ease the burden on ISPs and businesses.

According to a spokesman, the Home Office is "actively considering" the proposal. "This will be part of our discussion running alongside our dialogue with ISPs and other groups," he said.

If the Tory and Liberal Democrat peers are successful, the legislation could see another round of committee stages in the House of Commons before returning a final time to the Lords.

But the Home Office is still confident the Bill will become law before October, when the European Bill of Human Rights comes into force.

Pressure has been mounting on the government over the last few days, with UK ISPs Poptel, Claranet and GreenNet all threatening to quit the UK if the Bill goes ahead. Campaigners will keep up the pressure on the House of Lords this morning with a petition calling for the withdrawal of the Bill, signed by fifty groups including Unison, the Royal College of General Practitioners, First Tuesday and Esther Dyson, chairman of EDventure.

Nicholas Bohm, lawyer and member of the Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR), said he was still hopeful significant amendments could be made, especially after comments from the Trades Union Congress late last week.

"I think the fact that a new range of bodies have raised concerns will have been noticed in 10 Downing Street - which in turn will have some effect on the Home Office," he said.