Civil Servants and Ministerial Policy Advisers: Security

(asked on 24th September 2019) - View Source

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers are required to declare whether they have ever been involved in actions intended to overthrow or undermine Parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means in order to gain (i) employment and (ii) security clearance.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 30th September 2019

All civil servants and special advisers who are subject to National Security Vetting are asked the following three questions as part of the clearance process:

“Have you ever been involved in actions intended to overthrow or undermine Parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means?”

“Have you ever been a member of, or supported, a group or groups involved in any of the above activities?”

“Have you ever had a close association with anyone, including a member of your family, who, to your knowledge, has been a member of or given active support to any such group or activities?”

National Security Vetting is a prerequisite for employment in a large subset of Civil Service roles, including sensitive posts and special advisers. For less sensitive roles that do not require vetting, these assurances are not asked of prospective candidates.

Reticulating Splines