To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the unit cost of vetting individuals by the Defence Vetting Agency and (b) the estimated cost of vetting individuals through a private contractor; and if he will make a statement. [111840]

The unit costs of vetting individuals for the main types of vetting clearances are as follows:

	£
Counter Terrorist Check (CTC)	27
Security Check (SC)	34
Developed Vetting (DV) Initial	1,101
Developed Vetting (DV) Review	672

These are the average costs, and are based on the last full Defence Vetting Agency Annual Accounts (2001–02). They exclude Security Service costs, of which the Ministry of Defence has no visibility.The estimated costs of vetting individuals through a private contractor have not been considered. The proposal to create the Defence Vetting Agency was subjected to a prior options study, which involved the various stakeholders, including the Security Service. The study reached the conclusion that personnel security vetting was a core MOD function. This view is subject to the Quinquennial Review (now Business Review) process. A Business Review of the Defence Vetting Agency is currently under way, and will consider whether vetting could be provided by other means.