§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what access political advisers in his Department have to classified information;
(2) what level of vetting is undertaken of political advisers to his Department.
(3) what access political advisers in his Department have to data held by his Department as commercial-inconfidence.
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§ Mr. HanleyClassified information, and information with privacy markings such as commercial in confidence, is distributed within my Department on a need-to-know basis. All staff employed by my Department, including my right hon. and learned Friend's special adviser, have access to such information which they require to perform their duties effectively. It is Government policy to vet all staff who require regular access to material classified secret and above; the level of vetting will depend on the classification of material to which staff require such access.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all persons who have held the post of political adviser in his Department since 1979, giving the dates of office for each.
§ Mr. HanleyIndividuals who have held the post of special adviser in my Department since 1979 are as follows:
- Andrew Dunlop Esq.—October 1986 to May 1988
- Keith Simpson Esq.—June 1988 to December 1990
- John Gardner Esq.—June 1991 to March 1992
- Perry Miller Esq.—April 1992 to February 1993
- Crispin Blunt Esq.—February 1993 to present