The delivery of major security-related infrastructure programmes is being slowed down by delays in workers’ security vetting, an industry body has warned.
Ben Goodwin, director of policy and public affairs at the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), said delays in United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) clearance “not only risk sidelining skilled people but may slow delivery on major programmes”.
UKSV clearance is needed for personnel working on national security-related projects such as nuclear and conventional defence, and nuclear energy.
The government’s plans to build fleets of small modular reactors and Sizewell C ─ as well as upgrades to the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the wider defence estate under the Strategic Defence Review ─ mean a major additional requirement for contractors to obtain clearance for construction and engineering workers.
Speaking to Construction News’ sister magazine New Civil Engineer, Goodwin said: “We believe building stronger capacity in UKSV must be an ongoing process, and that government and industry should work together to optimise systems, identify practical reforms, and ensure the workforce is suitably vetted and qualified for the pipeline of work ─ ahead of schemes coming to market.”
Goodwin said CECA and its members “stand ready to work with the Cabinet Office and UKSV to speed up responsible checks, remove duplication where feasible, and keep projects on track, all while maintaining the highest possible security standards when it comes to matters of national security”.
The issue of delays to processing at UKSV was raised in Parliament last week by Labour MP Michelle Scrogham. Her Barrow and Furness constituency includes a BAE Systems shipyard where Costain and Morgan Sindall are among the firms carrying out infrastructure and accommodation upgrades.
Scrogham said: “Working in the shipyard requires security clearance, which is provided by UKSV. However, some of my constituents have lost job offers due to the significant delays in receiving clearance.
“That has a severe impact on those individuals as well as on our ability to deliver the submarines that defend the country.”
Cabinet Office minister Dan Jarvis responded by assuring Scrogham that UKSV “continues to undertake a programme of work to improve the efficiency of the vetting process and that further work is ongoing to digitise and improve the automation of processes”.
A government spokesperson told NCE: “We have turned around security vetting, clearing the backlog and getting processing times back on track, so civil engineers playing a vital role in the UK’s most sensitive projects get the timely clearance they need.”
The spokesperson added that UKSV had met “all key performance targets” since April 2024, but work continues to digitise and automate processes.
