Defence Vetting Agency (Hansard, 6 April 2000)

§ Mr. Spellar

The Defence Vetting Agency carries out some 200,000 personnel security vetting checks and investigations each year. Since it was launched in 1997, the Agency has embarked on an ambitious modernisation programme aimed at creating a highly responsive, efficient and integrated organisation, exploiting the capabilities of modern information technology to the benefit of its customers. FY2000–2001 will be a period of particular upheaval as the Agency begins to collocate its four separate vetting units to York. Collocation involves much more than the move on to a single site. New accommodation, processes, IT systems, and a substantially new workforce will be introduced, as the existing vetting units close. Consequently, while the quality of its outputs should be unaffected, it is expected that there will be a notable reduction in the Agencies

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timeliness and efficiency performance during this period compared to last year. The Chief Executive has been set the following Key Targets:

Quality Key Target 1: At least a 90 per cent. success rating in dealing with Cases Denied and Withdrawn in Service, and zero Serious Errors.

Timeliness Key Target 2: To complete 78 per cent. of Security Checks within 42 days. Key Target 3: To complete 76 per cent. of Counter Terrorist Checks within 42 days. Key Target 4: To complete 90 per cent. of all Developed Vetting clearances within 26 weeks. Key Target 5: To achieve average times for Counter Terrorist Checks and Security Checks of 35 and 31 days respectively, and to complete Developed Vetting clearances on average within 15 weeks.

Efficiency Key Target 6: To achieve a Unit Cost of Output of £32.37.

I will arrange for copies of the Corporate Plan to be placed in the Library of both Houses.