Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the BIST certification officer investigation into the financial affairs of Unite the Union on the security implications of civil servants secondments to Unite.

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) has not undertaken an overarching assessment of the security implications arising from the Certification Officer’s investigation for employees from BIST, or former Department for Business and Trade (DBT), seconded to Unite the Union. There are no current or previous secondments from BIST or former DBT to Unite on which to base such an assessment. All secondments from BIST, including arrangements from former DBT, are considered individually. Each case is assessed on its circumstances, including relevant security implications and the safeguards to manage them in line with Departmental and wider Civil Service policies.