Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland: Vetting
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 99008, who is responsible for conducting the national security vetting for the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.
Answered by Hilary Benn
United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) acts as service providers for National Security Vetting (NSV) across His Majesty’s Government (HMG) for specific roles affording access to Protectively Marked Materials (PMM) sites and assets. The ultimate decision on whether to grant any level of NSV will be taken either by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), the department or police force that requires the individual to hold clearance, or by the sponsoring authority that carries out this task on behalf of departments.
In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
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