Committee publication · Correspondence · 2 June 2026

Response from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office following the oral evidence session with Cat Little on 23 April 2026, dated 2 June 2026

Inquiry: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Summary

The FCDO responds to a 23 April 2026 Foreign Affairs Committee question asking for disclosure of internal guidance on vetting decisions. The FCDO confirms it follows Cabinet Office Personnel Security Controls guidance and clarifies that Sir Olly Robbins' reference to 'internal guidance' concerned standard staff guidance on risk mitigation and aftercare measures for security clearance applicants, not separate classified decision-making protocols.

Key findings

FCDO vetting decisions are guided by Cabinet Office guidance (Personnel Security Controls) and other Cabinet Office policy documents containing sensitive material; no separate FCDO-owned vetting guidance exists
Sir Olly Robbins' reference to internal guidance related to the FCDO's general staff guidance on the vetting process, specifically sections covering risk mitigation and aftercare
The FCDO uses 'aftercare' as risk management measures to monitor security reliability of cleared staff between normal review periods, including bespoke interventions by the Personnel Security Team
PST considers aftercare provision as an alternative to security clearance refusal for permanent staff, allowing the FCDO to retain or recruit individuals who would otherwise be refused clearance

Tone

Procedural

Topics

national-securitypersonnel-vettinggovernment-transparency

Key actors

Cat Little, Alan Gemmell MP, Dan Carden MP, Sir Olly Robbins, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Cabinet Office, Personnel Security Team

Notable line

“Each case will be treated individually depending on the circumstances.”

Key Quotes

“In our decision- making on vetting, we are guided by the Cabinet Office guidance for all vetting departments, Personnel Security Controls , as well as other Cabinet Office -owned policy documents …”
— Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office · explaining the basis for FCDO vetting decisions

“Where we do find a risk, we always try to manage it through our aftercare programme or risk mitigation – we provide aftercare for a significant number of staff.”
— Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office · describing the vetting process and risk management approach

“PST's ability to provide this aftercare allows the FCDO to take on or retain staff who would otherwise not succeed in gaining clearance.”
— Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office · explaining the operational benefit of aftercare measures

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗