The 7/7 bombings: MI5 has no more lessons to learn, say government lawyers UK

7/7 bombings: MI5 has no more lessons to learn, say government lawyers

Relatives of the 52 people killed in the 2005 London attacks have made a list of recommendations to the coroner in the hope of preventing a similar attack. But MI5 says it has already reviewed its procedures and made the necessary changes. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

MI5 has no further lessons to learn from the 7 July bombings and should not be subject to recommendations from the coroner, government lawyers have told the inquests into the victims of the attacks.

Relatives of the 52 victims have given a list of recommendations to the coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, which they believe could save lives and help prevent similar attacks, including nine relating to the conduct of the security services.

They include calls for improvements in the way suspects are assessed by MI5, and for more sophisticated computer systems that would flag up when a suspect or address has already come to security officers' attention.

Patrick O'Connor QC, speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, also called for MI5 to keep records of their activities, to pay closer attention to the quality of photographs used in identifying suspects, and to ensure that information given to MPs is fully accurate.

The inquests have already heard that a report into the bombings by the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, the only public body to which the security service reports, contained "many many mistakes and inaccuracies" in its account of the intelligence service's conduct before the attacks.

But James Eadie QC, for the government, said MI5 had already changed some procedures and reviewed other proposals before deeming them unnecessary. "Lessons have indeed been learned," he said.

He said the coroner's powers, circumscribed by law, did not extend to recommending changes to MI5 because "the evidence simply does not give rise to any concern about other deaths in the future or continuing risk". O'Connor said that the families were not arguing that the security services could "reasonably" have prevented the 7 July attacks, and acknowledged that many other plots had been foiled by intelligence officers.

But he added: "The evidence may suggest that the security service, even if they could not reasonably have prevented 7/7, could have done more."

It would be a "profound consolation" to the bereaved families "if they could make some contribution to the better protection of national security and potentially to the saving of lives in future", he said.

Lady Justice Hallett has finished hearing evidence into the suicide bombings, and is expected to deliver her verdicts before Easter.