Parliament: Internet blunder hits police reform inquiry

The confidential discussions of MPs reviewing some of the most radical reforms to policing for 50 years have been inadvertently broadcast over the internet from inside the House of Commons.

The blunder exposed the key recommendations of an influential committee's inquiry into the proposals for directly elected police and crime commissioners to replace police authorities.

The mistake, caused by human error, will raise fears over the security of information being discussed in private sessions within the House of Commons committee rooms.

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The public hearings of Select Committees, which hear evidence on issues as diverse as defence, foreign affairs and health, are routinely broadcast on the official Parliament TV website.

But as the Home Affairs Select Committee, which is chaired by Labour MP Keith Vaz, went into a private session on Tuesday the audio feed continued to be broadcast live.

The MPs debated the main recommendations of their report, due out next week, for almost two hours – unaware that they could be heard by anyone with an internet connection.

Key issues, including who should be able to stand for the new posts, their operational independence and the scrutiny role of the new police and crime panels have all been considered by MPs on the committee.

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A spokesman for the committee declined to comment when told of the error.

Later, Mr Vaz confirmed that a private session of the committee "had the sound feed inadvertently left on".

Private sessions are used for the MPs' deliberations, or if sensitive or confidential material is likely to be discussed.

Other committees' deliberations behind closed doors have included inquiries into children in care, national security and British military operations during the Afghan war.