Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 51 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, when he plans that the new IT system PSyA are developing will be completed.

PSyA utilises the ISAbelle system, an in-house programme designed to manage the administration of International Visits, Industry Personnel Security Assurance and Facilities Security Clearance. The system has been developed in three phases;

Phase 1 - International Visits Control Office: is complete and in use.

Phase 2 - Industry Personnel Security Assurance: is on schedule to be delivered in early March 2024.

Phase 3 - Facilities Security Clearance: Full implementation is dependent on a number of factors, including changes to strategic priorities as part of DE&S transformation and is not currently scheduled. Once requirements have been assessed, delivery would take between four and six months, with ongoing system support then in place.

Until the final phase of the new information system is in place, DE&S will continue to operate the current system for managing data around the Facilities Security Clearance process.