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Disclosure of Information: Inquiries

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeCabinet OfficeTabled Answered 24 March 2026UIN 120842

The question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the authorisation process is for starting a leak inquiry.

Answered by Dan Jarvis

Permanent Secretaries can initiate leak inquiries in their respective departments, should their information be released in an unauthorised way. These are conducted by departmental security teams.

For particularly serious leaks, or leaks of information held by more than one department, the decision to launch an inquiry sits with the Cabinet Secretary. Leak inquiries initiated by the Cabinet Secretary, or involving more than one department, are referred to the Government Security Group (GSG).

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