§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What documentation may be required of the nominating authority by governors of Her Majesty's prisons in the process of approving visiting ministers, and why some prisons and not others are demanding original birth certificates or passports.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch)Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter to Lord Avebury from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt.
Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the documentation required for security clearing prospective visiting ministers to prisons.
All staff who work in a prison, including those who are not employed by the service, are required to be cleared to the appropriate level for the establishment and type of work which they carry out. Since November 1994 all visiting ministers of religion have been nominated to governors locally. Before they commence duties they should undergo the normal pre-appointment checks and the guidance issued to recruiters on making these appointments refers to this requirement.
In March 1995 basic checks were introduced following the outcome of the Cabinet Office's review of protective security. These provide that those who make appointments to the Civil Service seek evidence of an individual's identity as well as taking up personal and employers' references. The means of identity can be passports or birth certificates, but cover other means of identification. The appointing authority is required to seek original documents and verify that they have done so. Individual governors are responsible for ensuring that these requirements are followed.