§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place784W to ensure the trustworthiness of staff operating database systems, with particular reference to the UK Passport Service. [170527]
§ Mr. BrowneThere are a number of mechanisms available to minimise the risk to databases operated by Government Departments and Agencies from staff who might not be trustworthy.
In the case of the UK Passport Service (UKPS), all prospective staff are subject to a number of pre-employment checks to confirm identity and entitlement to take employment. UKPS staff are also subject to security clearance checks in accordance with the Prime Minister's statement on security vetting of 15 December 1994. These checks provide UKPS with an appropriate degree of assurance as to the integrity and trustworthiness of staff. The same arrangements apply to the employees of UKPS' private sector partners.
In addition to pre-employment checks and security clearance for staff, all UKPS systems undergo formal risk assessment and are accredited in line with Government standards and Information Security Standard BS7799. This ensures that UKPS has in place management and technical systems to provide comprehensive auditing and accounting facilities to monitor all access to, and activity on, its databases.