{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016/section-133",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016/section-133.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2016/25",
  "legislation_title": "Investigatory Powers Act 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016",
  "path": "section/133",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "133",
  "heading": "Section 132: meaning of “excepted disclosure”",
  "text": "(1) For the purposes of section 132, a disclosure made in relation to a warrant is an excepted disclosure if it falls within any of the Heads set out in—\n(a) subsection (2) (disclosures authorised by warrant etc.);\n(b) subsection (3) (oversight bodies);\n(c) subsection (4) (legal proceedings);\n(d) subsection (6) (disclosures of a general nature).\n(2) Head 1 is—\n(a) a disclosure authorised by the warrant;\n(b) a disclosure authorised by the person to whom the warrant is or was addressed or under any arrangements made by that person for the purposes of this section;\n(c) a disclosure authorised by the terms of any requirement to provide assistance in giving effect to the warrant (including any requirement for disclosure imposed by virtue of section 126(4)).\n(3) Head 2 is—\n(a) a disclosure made to, or authorised by, a Judicial Commissioner;\n(b) a disclosure made to the Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct for the purposes of facilitating the carrying out of any of the Director General’s functions;\n(ba) a disclosure made to the Service Police Complaints Commissioner for the purposes of facilitating the carrying out of any of the Commissioner’s functions;\n(c) a disclosure made to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament for the purposes of facilitating the carrying out of any of its functions.\n(4) Head 3 is—\n(a) a disclosure made—\n(i) in contemplation of, or in connection with, any legal proceedings, and\n(ii) for the purposes of those proceedings;\n(b) a disclosure made—\n(i) by a professional legal adviser (“L”) to L's client or a representative of L's client, or\n(ii) by L's client, or by a representative of L's client, to L,\nin connection with the giving, by L to L's client, of advice about the effect of the provisions of this Part.\n(5) But a disclosure within Head 3 is not an excepted disclosure if it is made with the intention of furthering a criminal purpose.\n(6) Head 4 is—\n(a) a disclosure which—\n(i) is made by a telecommunications operator in accordance with a requirement imposed by regulations made by the Secretary of State, and\n(ii) consists of statistical information of a description specified in the regulations;\n(b) a disclosure of information that does not relate to any particular warrant under this Part but relates to such warrants in general.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 133(3)(b) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 8.1.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 9 para. 74(5)(b); S.I. 2017/1249, reg. 2 (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 133(3)(b) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 8.1.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 9 para. 74(5)(a); S.I. 2017/1249, reg. 2 (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 133(3)(ba) inserted (1.11.2022 for specified purposes, 19.6.2023 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2021 (c. 35), s. 24(1), Sch. 4 para. 2(5); S.I. 2022/1095, reg. 3; S.I. 2023/621, reg. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 133 in force at 27.6.2018 by S.I. 2018/652, reg. 9(s)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/section/133",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:06:02.282680+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}