Government Clarifies Security Clearance Issue

The government has published a full response on security clearance rules following a petition, posted on No10’s website in June, by IT contractor Glen Andrews.

The government has clarified policy on security vetting for staff hired in sensitive posts, stating that prospective job candidates should not need to hold valid security clearance before applying, although this seems to refer more to permanent positions.

Vector welcomes any change which simplifies the process of security vetting, and opens up opportunities to a wider contractor population. In our experience, it has proven to be a catch 22 situation, whereby contractors cannot gain clearance without providing services at a secure site, and yet are largely overlooked at the application stage for not having clearance. We continue to support any change that allows the most appropriate supplier to win a contract.

However, despite the promises of change, clause 18 of the Cabinet Offices official document on the vetting process states that “…It is government policy that individuals should not be expected to hold an existing security clearance in order to apply for posts or contracts that require vetting, except in exceptional circumstances where such posts are short term and need to be filled urgently… “ It may seem cynical, but it is Vector’s experience that all contracts are, by comparison, short term and urgent.

The government's full response to the petition, states:

The Government’s overall policy intention is to ensure that national security vetting is applied proportionately, effectively and rigorously. It is therefore applied on a case by case basis to specific posts.

National security clearances also need to be actively managed beyond the application of the initial checks themselves and ongoing personnel security management is very important to maintain any security clearance. Providing ongoing personnel security management to individuals outside Government service is neither practicable nor affordable. We are therefore unable to speculatively vet individuals in advance of them applying for government jobs or contract work. Also, vetting involves a degree of intrusion into an individual’s private life so must only be applied when absolutely necessary, so for legal and policy reasons, it is not available in the way suggested in this petition.

Employers are advised that they should not, generally, require prospective job candidates to hold a clearance prior to applying. This policy is reflected in a statement of the vetting policy.

However, the Government continues to receive notification that pre-existing security clearances are being required in order to bid or apply for some sub-contract work with government contractors. Such cases are brought to our attention by individual contractors, who feel excluded from the procurement process by this practice, and via MPs. In order to address this issue, the Government has taken steps to increase the awareness and implementation of its guidance. We are also working closely with the Professional Contractors Group (PCG), the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCO) in order to promote greater cross sector awareness.

As part of the ongoing efforts to raise greater awareness of the guidance an email address has been established that allows individuals to send examples of adverts that state that an existing security clearance is required in order to apply for a position or bid for a contract to: vettinggroup@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk

Whilst it will not be possible to follow up these instances in every case directly, the Government will draw on them to inform our thinking and engagement with the recruitment industry and assist with monitoring this problem.

The government also rejected a petition of nearly 1,000 signatories asking to be allowed to ‘self-security clear’ themselves to the required level.