CIVIL liberties groups welcomed a report yesterday by a powerful parliamentary committee that found government plans for a snoopers’ charter had not yet been justified.

The joint committee on the draft Investigatory Powers Bill proposed 86 amendments and said that the government had further work to do before Parliament could be confident that plans had been “adequately thought through.”

Under the proposals internet providers would be compelled to retain internet communications records (ICRs) for up to a year.