To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that recruitment agencies which advertise vacancies on behalf of the Government do not require candidates to have obtained security clearance to obtain an interview. (285689)

It is Government policy that an existing security clearance should not be specified as a pre-requisite for recruitment, except in certain defined circumstances. The Cabinet Office has regular contact with the Recruitment and Employers Confederation and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies to ensure that its membership, which includes recruitment agencies, is aware of the policy.