§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the results of any polygraph examinations on individuals whose activities have a bearing upon the work or responsibilities of his Department have been brought to the notice of his Department; on how many occasions; by whom; on what dates; for what reasons those results were made known to his Department; if he expects to receive any such reports in the future; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindNo. Following a recommendation by the Security Commission, the Government are undertaking a pilot study to test the feasibility of using polygraph exainations as part of security screening in the British intelligence and security agencies.
The pilot study, which is expected to take two years to complete, will encompass a small proportion of staff at GCHQ, for which I am responsible. The outcome of the tests undertaken during the pilot study will need to be assessed and evaluated before any decision can be taken on whether or not to introduce the polygraph as part of security screening generally in the intelligence and security agencies.