Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the Recruiting for vacancies requiring National Security Vetting clearance: code of practice; whether he has made a recent estimate of the (a) number and (b) proportion of vacancies advertised that do not comply with the code of practice; and what recourse applicants have if they are unable to apply for an advertised vacancy which does not comply with the code of practice.

The code of practice is in place to ensure that those who do not already hold National Security Vetting are not at a disadvantage when applying for a role in the Civil Service.

Whilst the Cabinet Office does not currently collect data on the number or proportion of vacancies advertised that do not comply with the code of practice, the government aims to reduce non-compliance.

Candidates unable to apply for an advertised vacancy which does not comply with the National Security Vetting Code of Practice may raise a complaint with the recruiting department in the first instance. If they remain dissatisfied and the vacancy was advertised publicly, they may bring their complaint to the Civil Service Commission on the basis they feel the selection for appointment has not met the requirements of the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. In open competitions anyone who wishes must be allowed to apply.