Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2017 to Question 62603, what the number of security passes issued by his Department to people not employed by his Department is; what business needs suffice for such a security pass to be granted; and what the number of passes issued to people who work for private companies which have currently or previously been awarded government contracts or which are bidding for such contracts is.

The Department does not provide specific details of the security measures it has in place to protect staff and visitors. It issues passes to civil servants, visitors, and to contractors undertaking work for the Department. These passes are issued taking into account both business and security needs.