Lord Sumption:

No, I do not think so.

It would certainly report any evidence it had that indicated security concerns or threats to the relevant Government Minister. If, for example, an MP was found to have close links with a foreign embassy that might come to the attention of a Minister. The Minister would probably be extremely careful about the use he or she made of that information. Clearly, there is a potential problem in light of the expansion of the role of the security services, MI5 and MI6, to cover, for example, international drug trafficking and international terrorism. The traditional barriers have tended to have been broken down and that may lead to a wider range of information about politically prominent people ending up in the hands of Ministers. However, I certainly would not expect such information to extend to road traffic offences or other minor matters.