Security Clearance for Those Applying for Jobs at Government Agencies

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in what contexts do Statutory Boards, Ministries or other organisations send job applicants' personal data to the Internal Security Department (ISD) or any other designated department for security clearance; and (b) what safeguards are in place to ensure the accuracy of the information collected and used in the security clearance procedure.

Security and background checks for Government jobs are not unique to Singapore. Many countries do so. The checks are done in a variety of contexts by different agencies and departments. Several factors could be relevant, including the security classification of the position, the nature of work and the confidentiality of the information that the position deals with. It is difficult to be more precise because the question is so broad. And for operational reasons, I will not be able to go into how or when such checks are done.

As regards the second part of the question on safeguards, the information collected for security checks is looked at, and assessed where possible against other relevant information for reliability and accuracy. Officers are guided by their supervisors as necessary on what to look out for when assessing the information. I am unable to say more without getting into confidential operational procedures.