Recommendation 24

The Cabinet Office was keen to confirm that it has full customer support for vetting transformation.62 For example, centralised decision making is an important component of the transformation plan whereby UKSV takes the whole decision on clearance rather than allowing departments to make the final decision based on UKSV’s advice.63 The Cabinet Office told us that 70% of all decision are now centralised with customers signed up to this approach.64 It did, however, acknowledge that UKSV may have to offer additional checks to all customers to assuage the concerns of others who consider their business has special requirements and to drive transferability of checks between departments.65 UKSV’s customers are frustrated with the lack of progress on the transformation programme. They fund the programme but have no say in how that funding is used. UKSV was forecasting an underspend of £6.5 million on the programme in 2022–23 due to delays in getting Cabinet Office approval for the business case, delays to progress on the plan and delays in resourcing. With an overspend of £1.5 million elsewhere across the business it was anticipating refunding around £5 million to customers in 2022–23.66 57 C&AG’s Report, para 3.7 58 C&AG’s Report, para 3.10 and Figure 14 59 Q63; C&AG’s Report, para 3.10 and Figure 14 60 Q 75 61 Qq 74, 80, 82 62 Q 82 63 C&AG’s Report, para 3.8 64 Qq 35, 66 65 Q 67 66 Q 72; C&AG’s Report, paras 3.14 and 3.15 18 The performance of UK Security Vetting