§ Mrs Renée Shortasked the Prime Minister what discussions were held with the Council of Civil Service Unions prior to the introduction of the polygraph test at the Government communications headquarters.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government accepted the Security Commission's recommendation, following its inquiry into the case of Geoffrey Arthur Prime, that a pilot scheme should be undertaken in the Security Service and at the Government Communications Headquarters to test the feasibility of polygraph security screening in the intelligence and security agencies. The Head of the Home Civil Service held discussions with representatives of the Council of Civil Service Unions on two occasions before the pilot scheme began. No decision on whether the polygraph should be introduced as part of security698W screening in the intelligence and security agencies will be taken until the results of the pilot scheme have been evaluated.