Professor Anthony Glees Dr Julian Richards University of ... - PCG

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conducting the first level of checks pertaining to a security clearance. With thistool, the human interface at the beginning of the vetting process will be replacedby an applicant submitting their clearance application online (having beensponsored to do so), following which the first set of basic database checks will beconducted automatically. While an officer at the DVA or elsewhere will still needto sign off the end of the application, the initial legwork will be greatly reducedand the process shortened considerably.The transparency agenda has meant that the government now says a lot moreabout the vetting process than was said before, as shown in the July 2010Cabinet Office statement. With this said, there is a certain amount of „smoke andmirrors‟ around the vetting process, which necessarily gives it a deterrent value.The details provided in the recent guidance documents merely help contractorsto make an informed choice as to whether they are likely to get securityclearance.Our research established that the view of the Cabinet Office‟s Security PolicyDepartment is that they have „gone as far as they can‟ in establishing the policy,reiterating to government departments that policy must be followed in suchareas as fairness in letting contracts, and providing customers and suppliersalike with as much information about the process as they can. There is noappetite in the Cabinet Office to push for a strengthened governance orcompliance regime in these areas, not least as resources are limited andpriorities are probably stronger in other areas of government business. However,as is already clear, this is a view we believe should be challenged not merelybecause there is no point in having regulations but not regulating them andbecause it is not in the national interest that the present position be leftunchanged.At the same time, the „line in the sand‟ is that the Cabinet Office insists it wouldnever accept self-selected security clearances or vetting or discuss the role ofMI5 in any of this. They are determined to stick to the „neither confirm nordeny‟ mantra where specific cases and details are at question. It is important, in38
the Cabinet Office‟s view, that people should never voluntarily submit theirdetails to MI5. It was suggested that to do this would drive a coach and horsesthrough the process.Some companies have suggested „pre-screening‟ and „readiness management‟services, whereby contractors can apply to have initial basic checks conductedand fed through into their security clearance process, with the hope of oiling thewheels of the application 8 . With basic-level security taking routinely less than amonth to process with the introduction of Cerberus, this may be a moot proposalin practice.The experiences of PCG members, both as expressed during our November 2010roundtable and in subsequent documentation have been collated in compilingthis report. This study charts a series of relationships (between contractors,recruitment agencies and industry) which involve a high degree ofinterconnection: contractors are not clients of the agencies, strictly speaking, asvarious regulations preclude agencies from working on behalf of contractors butfreelancers must rely on agencies to place them. Industry and departments arethe clients of the agencies. Contractors contract to industry but industry is alsothe client of the contractor. The background to this work also involves a varietyof themes: the expertise of the contractor, the requirement of industry to benefitfrom that expertise and the competitive environment of the market place(involving contractor, recruitment agency, industry and the government) and thekey requirements of industry and government, to have the best possibleexpertise working for them, to work according to fundamental principles of valuefor money and efficiency and to do all this whilst safeguarding the UK‟s nationalsecurity.8 See for example Tubedale Ltd’s ‘White Paper on Pre- and Post-Employment Readiness Management Service’,17 May 2010, submitted to the Cabinet Office for consideration.39
Page 10: a level playing field. If present e
Page 13: equired to achieve this desirable g
Page 16 and 17: have exactly the expertise that gov
Page 18 and 19: We are satisfied, as we say, that i
Page 21 and 22: contract (government end-user, recr
Page 23 and 24: The main points are:• More than t
Page 25 and 26: containing an inherent conflict of
Page 27 and 28: In general, we recommend that• In
Page 29 and 30: • PCG acts as intermediary betwee
Page 31 and 32: government departments, and via the
Page 33: One of the most important points to
Page 36 and 37: articulation of government policy i
Page 40 and 41: Of course, perception and reality a
Page 42 and 43: On at least one of the major job-bo
Page 44 and 45: eadiness to raise the bar on profes
Page 46 and 47: Michael Shryane at the Cabinet Offi
Page 48 and 49: commercial worlds were increasingly
Page 52 and 53: with the Data Protection Act. The D
Page 54 and 55: The DVA would forward lists of comp
Page 56 and 57: Second, there is a question of reso
Page 58 and 59: addressing all of these coherently.
Page 60 and 61: crime in many parts of the world fi
Page 62 and 63: concerned with the potential indivi
Page 64 and 65: of risk. As for „transparency‟

Professor Anthony Glees Dr Julian Richards University of ... - PCG

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