Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 186
186
Deferred
Align HMPPS personnel vetting requirements with tier-one security agencies and mandate lifelong vetting
Conclusion
HMPPS must immediately commit to aligning its personnel vetting requirements with those of other tier-one security and law enforcement agencies, such as the police. While the nature of the work differs, the threat profile is comparable. This alignment must establish the lifelong vetting model as the minimum operational standard for all staff and require automatic enhanced vetting checks upon any staff transfer to a higher-risk role, particularly those within security or intelligence. (Recommendation, Paragraph 91) 64
Government response summary AI-generated
The government response detailed increased NHS England funding for prison substance misuse services and new priority areas for treatment, completely unrelated to the recommendation for aligning HMPPS personnel vetting requirements.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Robust personnel vetting to protect the integrity of the prison system is crucial, and so HMPPS is learning from reviews of police vetting and, where possible, building this into our processes. HMPPS has agreed to implement several steps to strengthen vetting, with target implementation dates of April to June 2026. These changes will include re-vetting every three to five years depending on clearance level, re-vetting for individuals moving to high-risk or high-profile roles, and risk-based re-vetting where intelligence suggests that there is an increased risk. Where appropriate and where funding allows, we will align our approach with other comparable agencies. To support this, we are pursuing access to the Police National Database for consideration in vetting checks, seeking legislative change to increase the level of criminal records disclosure permitted for our highest risk roles, and expanding our information-sharing agreements which are currently in place with Border Force and Immigration Enforcement, to include the police and other comparable agencies. While we do not accept the need for a lifelong vetting model as the minimum operational standard, we partially accept the recommendation and remain committed to strengthening vetting arrangements, with a strong emphasis on high-risk roles where the opportunity to cause harm is the greatest. Health staff (including those from RECONNECT) face the same level of personnel vetting requirements. HMPPS and NHSE will work in partnership to deliver this recommendation across prison healthcare teams.
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