In the area of secret surveillance, e.g. data retention, telephone tapping, covert intelligence gathering etc, the European Court of Human Rights has always stressed the need for effective safeguards to minimise the risk of abuse. One of those safeguards in the protection of fundamental rights is to have an independent supervisory body, preferably a judge. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 for the first time in the UK introduces a judicial element to the authorisation of secret surveillance measures by way of Judicial Commissioners and the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. This article assesses whether these supervisory bodies satisfy the requirements for independence and impartiality found within the jurisprudence of the European Convention on Human Rights.