Recommendation 13

The Cabinet Office sought to reassure us that UKSV did not stop processing renewals altogether, but that it had continued to process renewals at a lower rate, adopting a risk- based, data-driven approach. “Should an adverse indicator arise [from newly introduced automated data checks], we absolutely then moved forward with the full process”.30 One such means of detecting such an indicator is an aftercare check, which should occur between the initial clearance and a full renewal with the aim of capturing any changes in circumstances that might impact on the clearance. UKSV aims to complete 85% of scheduled aftercare checks within 95 days but has failed to meet that target once since the start of 2018–19.31 The Cabinet Office defended this risk-based approach saying that UKSV would rather take time to work with individuals to mitigate risks and achieve the right outcome even if it meant failing to achieve a KPI,32 and that it had introduced a triage approach across national security vetting to ensure a focus on high-risk cases.33 Staff resourcing constraints