Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many outstanding applications were there for security clearances for individuals working at airports in England as of A.) August 2024 B.) August 2025 C.) August 2026.
Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I can advise that National Security Vetting (NSV) undertaken by His Majesty’s Government, remains separate from concurrent industry background checks. Successful and assured NSV is underpinned by appropriately considered and robustly applied recruitment due diligence.
I can confirm that Accreditation Checks (AC), which is a level of National Secuity Vetting primarily used by the aviation industry, are being processed in a timely manner with no current delays.
The Cabinet Office acts as a service provider for NSV clearances only. For national security reasons I am unable to share processing times for security clearances as release would likely prejudice national security and undermine the robust protective measures used to safeguard His Majesty’s Government.