Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time is for a person joining the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF to undergo a full security check for their security clearance.

All recruits to the Army are vetted to Baseline Personnel Security Standard which takes an average of six weeks. A range of other clearances may be required in different combinations depending on the role and background of the recruit; the length of time taken for these therefore varies considerably.

Neither the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force record the information requested.

Information about the different levels of security clearance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels