The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 15th July 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:
- whether they conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014 for (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.
- whether they have conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014; what assessment was made of the impact of the framework on women; and what conclusions were reached.
- what assessment they made, during the development of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014, of the potential impact on individuals already employed by (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.
Lord Timpson (Lab, MoJ): All Ministry of Justice policies are subject to equality considerations, and an Equality Impact Assessment is completed before publication where required. PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014 is a long-standing policy that was first published in 2014 and applies to staff and workers across prisons, HMPPS and providers of probation services. The policy is currently being revised and, as part of the redevelopment process, impacts on affected individuals will be considered. Any new policy will be subject to the appropriate Equality Impact Assessment requirements prior to publication. The specific findings of the assessment undertaken when the policy was published are not currently in the public domain. HMPPS is unable to establish the detail of those findings in a timely manner as accurate, reliable data.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty’s Government how many women employed by organisations providing services to probation under contract have been refused vetting clearance under the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014.
Lord Timpson: The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold sufficiently robust or complete data on protected characteristics, including gender, in relation to vetting outcomes under PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014. Vetting and pre-employment checks are undertaken through a combination of HMPPS, Shared Services Limited, and other parallel processes. While certain protected characteristic information may be held by third-party providers, HMPPS does not record vetting outcomes by gender within its management information systems. As a result, a consolidated and reliable breakdown of the number of women employed by organisations providing services to probation under contract who have been refused vetting clearance is not available and therefore cannot be provided. The Ministry of Justice is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and to ensuring that policies and operational practices comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Security vetting requirements are applied consistently and proportionately in accordance with national policy and business need.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty’s Government how many women have ceased to hold their existing roles as a result of changes to vetting requirements introduced through the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014, in each year since its implementation.
Lord Timpson: Information on individuals who have ceased to hold roles following changes to security vetting requirements is not routinely collated or reported centrally in the manner requested. In addition, the Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold sufficiently robust or complete data on protected characteristics, including gender, in relation to vetting outcomes under PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014. Vetting and pre-employment checks are undertaken through a combination of HMPPS, Shared Services Limited, and other parallel processes. While certain protected characteristic information may be held by third-party providers, HMPPS does not record the reasons individuals cease to hold roles, nor does it record such outcomes by gender within its management information systems. As a result, a consolidated and reliable breakdown of the number of women who have ceased to hold existing roles as a result of changes to vetting requirements introduced through PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014, is not available and therefore cannot be provided. The Ministry of Justice is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and to ensuring that policies and operational practices comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Security vetting requirements are applied consistently and proportionately in accordance with national policy and business need.
The Church of England in Parliament 