Govt gives green light to draft new National Intelligence Act
January 16, 2020The government has given the green light to draft the ‘National Intelligence Act’ (NIA) to regulate and empower all intelligence services in the country to safeguard national security.
The Cabinet has approved the proposal to draft the NIA tabled by the State Minister of Defence Chamal Rajapaksa.
Co - Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunawardene said at the media briefing yesterday that the Government took the decision to introduce NIA to prevent future security threats by strengthening country’s intelligence arms.
He said the Legal Draftsman would be advised to prepare the NIA Bill.
The Cabinet paper submitted for approval reveals that certain intelligence activities have been restricted due to lack of adequate legal provisions to regulate those activities.
Minister Gunawardena said the new Act would give powers to intelligence agencies to manage national security by giving feedback, guidelines and recommendations and also monitoring the country’s security situation.