To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that no illegal immigrants are employed in the manned guarding of his Department’s premises. (80797)

For our main headquarters buildings we employ a mix of in-house and contract guards. For the former we carry out a robust basic check on all successful applicants which includes confirmation of identity, nationality (including right to work), criminal record declaration and references. Following a successful outcome of the basic check all guards undergo formal security vetting.

All contract guards throughout the DEFRA estate must be licensed under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. This provides us with assurance that identities and criminal records have been checked. For headquarters-based contract guards we also subject them to formal security vetting as a matter of routine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed illegal immigrants as security guards. (80814)

We are not aware that we have directly or indirectly employed illegal immigrants as security guards.