§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he is making to protect the security of defence establishment and royal palace records following the transfer of PSA Projects to Tarmac plc; and whether Tarmac employees will receive any security vetting.
§ Mr. HowardRecords on work completed by PSA Projects have been archived within government and will not be transferred with PSA Project Ltd. on sale to Tarmac plc. Classified records for current projects will be loaned to PSA Projects Ltd. but will be returned to Government once work is completed. Government Departments will continue to be responsible for security arrangements on their establishments and the same procedures will be followed in the future as has been followed in the past. The private sector, including Tarmac Construction Ltd., has worked on Government defence contacts for many years and is aware of the rules governing the control and access for classified documents. In general, existing PSA Projects staff will continue to work on the projects on which they are currently engaged. Security vetting of any new employees of PSA Projects Ltd. will be organised as necessary after completion of the sale. PSA Projects does not hold records on royal palaces.