HL Deb 25 March 2003 vol 646 c71WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 25 February (WA 22) concerning security vetting for Northern Ireland civil servants, whether all postholders on 12 December 2002 held valid security clearance.[HL2016]

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn)

The work of the review of arrangements for security vetting in Northern Ireland, to which I have referred in response to successive Questions on this subject by the noble Lord, includes examination of the extent and the appropriate levels and frequency of security vetting both at entry and beyond in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. The information necessary to answer this Question is not held centrally and could be obtained only by a date-specific review across all of the Northern Ireland departments, at a disproportionate cost.