§ Mr. Wellbelovedasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of Clause 10 of the Race Relations Bill, what security considerations will be taken into account in relation to the employment on Government work of those who are not of United Kingdom origin.
§ Mr. Harold LeverSecurity considerations, which apply equally to all who have access to Government classified information, irrespective of race or colour, inevitably affect the extent to which the Armed Forces and Government Departments, particularly those concerned with defence or handling much Government classified work, can recruit people not of United Kingdom origin. The Government have to be satisfied that there is no reason to doubt the reliability of anyone to be employed on secret work.
There is no question of discrimination on grounds of race or colour, but one of the factors that are relevant in assessing the reliability of a person who is not of United Kingdom origin is the degree to which he has assimilated himself to this country. For this purpose, the Government have decided to use as a rough guide the length of a person's residence in the United Kingdom. For example, positive vetting procedures require Departments to make inquiries going back over a period of at least 10 years. Where a post involves highly secret work and the occupant has to be positively vetted, a period of 10 years' residence in the United Kingdom will, therefore, generally be necessary. In other cases involving a lesser degree of sensitivity a shorter period would be acceptable, but normally not less than five years' residence will be required, though much will depend on the circumstances of each case.