Written question asked by Jon Trickett (Labour) on Thursday, 27 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 31 October 2011. It was answered by Alan Duncan (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 November 2011 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Departmental Security

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in his Department.

Answer: The booklet HMG Personnel Security Controls, available from the Cabinet Office website at:"www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls"describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting checks.It is not appropriate to confirm which specific posts or post holders within a Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within a Department has access to sensitive material and be used for the hostile targeting of individuals.

Secondary information