Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2017 to Question 62529, 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.

As at the 31^st December 2016, the number of Building Access (security) passes issued by the Cabinet Office to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants and who work or regularly visit the Cabinet Office was 39. In addition 345 passes have been issued to staff of external contractors who are employed full time working for the Cabinet Office.

The numbers of such passes will fluctuate significantly over the course of a year.

Such passes are issued to contractors, secondees, other public sector workers or Crown Servants (such as the police or military forces) as well as to civil servants where it is necessary and appropriate to do so. The business needs for determining the issuing of such passes will vary. They are always considered on a case by case basis and dependent upon a range of factors, such as the regularity/purpose/frequency of the person attending and any specific security issues and against a backdrop of ensuring that both business efficiency and the security of all our assets is maintained at all times.

All such passes are cancelled immediately when they are no longer required. Their use and provision is underpinned by a strong physical security focus, access control procedures and technologies, clear processes and assurance mechanisms that enable an integrated workforce to operate in a secure manner.