Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with United Kingdom Security Vetting on vetting clearance rates for applicants with mental health conditions.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I have had recent engagement with the UKSV across various aspects of National Security Vetting (NSV).
The NSV process takes into account many aspects of an individual’s life in order to gather a greater understanding of any risks which may make them unsuitable to have access to sensitive information, assets or access to certain sensitive sites. The individual’s health (both physical and mental) are just one of those aspects. Any mitigations to those risks are also taken into account when making a decision on suitability for clearance. I can advise that many people with mental health considerations do hold NSV clearance.
NSV policy is kept under constant review to ensure that policy reflects changes in society and addresses new and emerging global trends.
It may interest the Honourable Member and her constituents to know there is public facing guidance available on the UKSV government website. This includes information about the vetting process as well as mental health considerations and includes efforts made to help demystify the vetting process and ensure improved inclusivity.
In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.