Security clearance. Mind your own business

[Nonofyourbusiness]

Name changed for obvious reasons.
Dh has been told that his security clearance needs renewing. He’s worked for the same employer for years, so no idea why it needs to be revised. Nothing has changed. He isn’t applying for a job with higher security.
Anyway, he needs me to fill in the section about my financial security. I agreed, thinking it would be the usual, ‘how much do you earn, what are your outgoings’, etc, but I was surprised to see questions on the value of my jewellery and car. Questions on my credit card limits and questions on investments, ISA’s, etc. Can I refuse to answer them. It’s none of their business. Neither of us have any debt and we both have healthy credit scores. I really don’t understand why they need such in depth info. Any ideas?

I don't think they care too much about the answers.
DH had to do this after we had just moved from abroad.
Our bank account was crazy. We'd sold a car, unexpectedly to a Brit, who was delighted to pay sterling straight into our UK account, then promptly bought 2 cars. We'd got masses of money going in, as DH's "pension" had to be cashed in when we left the country. We had masses of international flights. And at the point he (we) filled it in, zero income.
FiL was born abroad, and has 2 dates of birth, as his original and translated birth certificates have different years on......
DH passed, no additional questions.
Or maybe our situation was so crazy, there was no way we'd have made it up!!!!!

What would "easy to bribe" look like?
What level of savings, expenditure would make you easy to bribe?

the employer could move you to a less sensitive role.
or start a dismissal process.

@cakeorwine more likely lots of unstable and fluctuating debts, penchant for gambling etc.

If it's a government check asking you is just trying to work out the honesty in the relationship and potential vulnerabilities there, they will directly credit check you whether you directly cooperate or not, they don't need your consent.

How is it that civil servants and their families are subjected to this when the people in power seem to be able to do whatever they like and no one gives a fig?

Politicians aren't (officially) vetted. It's not democratic...

Way back in the 00s, we were seconded to a client for a specific, time restrained project.

By the very nature of the end client, there was info at the vetting interviews about us that neither of us had provided.

Admittedly this was very much an outlier in all the security clearance stuff due to the nature & sponsor of the project.

I’m out of the game now but DH is now a permie with SC for his job and is being sponsored by his employer for enhanced clearance at the moment. It’s very much a ‘provide all info or the application will be jeopardised, and if clearance is revoked then off you pop’. It’s not a military or government client like some have been in the past, just adjacent.

It’s a much more leisurely process this time though lol! Though as a carer for an elderly relative now, I’ve got precisely bugger all for them to browse (on top of my own disability which has pole axed my job prospects).

DH isn’t a spy (he couldn’t be stealthy if he tried, his footsteps sound like a t-Rex on a rampage when he goes to the loo in the night), he just has a very specific IT skill set!

Hello - a timely post. I’ve just been offered a job in a bank that requires security and financial checks. I’m a bit worried about the financial bit and wondered if anyone had any advice.

My credit score is good. I’m married and DH is a saver. I’m more of a spender because I buy most of the stuff for me/DD. We’re both mid-40s. On the face of it, finances currently look like:

Him: earns around £70k per year through his own company, has about £55k in savings but this is earmarked for a car we have ordered and his tax bill.

Joint mortgage is currently £22k which is fully offset with savings of about £28k in my name. However, I have £24k on various credit cards at 0%. I earn £60k currently and new job is offering £80k.

This came about because DH couldn’t work for a lot of lockdown, and our accountant didn’t tell us about the Covid grants our company was entitled to. So some credit card spend built up which I put on 0%. We’ve always overpaid the mortgage, which is much smaller than what would probably be expected at this time of our lives. We can take money out of the mortgage to pay off the credit cards but this would then be at 6% or 7% interest.

Plan is to overpay on the credit cards and use additional salary to build up the offset savings so that when the 0%s end we can add what’s left to the mortgage, hopefully either fully offset or at a lower % than now.

Committed to car purchase in cash to avoid 7% finance.

Is this likely to be accepted? I really want/need this job. :-/

The bank role wouldn’t involve any sort of money handling.

Well DH has just drip fed me some more info. It’s for dv clearance. Guess I don’t have a choice then.

What will happen to your husbands job if he fails the security clearance? Because that likely to happen if you you refuse to participate.

btw the financial questions are totally normal, it’s a formal and secure process, his employers won’t all get to chat about your credit card and costs of your engagement ring, however debts or wealth can show vulnerability.

We had to be security screened due to DD's job, it was pretty invasive and included anyone who regularly stays in our household eg step over 18. Everyone passed of course, nothing to hide but listing dps ex wife seemed a bit ott

Everyone saying the questions are normal.... they seemingly are now.

Dh has worked in roles requiring enhanced dv clearance for 38 years (I was for 10 of those years).

This year is the first (done every 5 years) where he has required ANY of my financial details other than that which he could provide via our joint account. So something has changed in the last 1-5 years.
Would provide the info, they know most of it anyhow.

Deleted - sorry, I asked a question that is answered further up the thread.

So something has changed in the last 1-5 years.

It hasn’t. I had to provide exhaustive financial information in 2014.

You never had a choice, it was clearly not a nice to do or option if you felt like it.

It's an interesting one - ministers are exempt from any from of vetting, and as you point out many of them would not pass SC, let alone DV - all the ones who are or were journalists for example would have been instantly disqualified. Their advisers however DO have to have clearance, there was a kerfuffle in the Johnson government about the fact that Dominic Cummings never managed to get an SC clearance, something that someone in his position would have usually had.

To be honest, if it's for DV you really shouldn't be posting about it here - maybe get the thread deleted?

would you lose your job is a family member say a father / sibling not a spouse refused to give information?

@Rouleur. I name changed for that reason. I’ll go back to my old name now and bow out of this thread. Thank you for the advice.

I get the need for clearance but what happens if you genuinely don't know the answers? I wouldn't have a clue how much my jewellery is worth, I don't know much about my family history and don't have a lot of family left to ask so I'm glad DH never needed that info! And what has anyone's sex life got to do with anything?!

And what has anyone's sex life got to do with anything?!

Could make them susceptible to blackmail.

You just tell them you don’t know the answer and explain why. Like “DP is estranged from his older sister but she was born in 1968 and her last known address was in Bolton.” They understand that families are weird!

Is your jewellery from Russia? Is it worth more than £10k? If you don’t tell them, they won’t know you even have it. Everyone has “some” jewellery so as long as you’re not holding it as assets or investments which complicate your financial status, that’s fine. Just say what you’ve got but I don’t remember this question coming up for “normal” jewellery/other items.

You’re reading way too much into it!

You’re reading way too much into it!

Not at all, I'm just being curious as posters were saying if the questions weren't answered it could mean someone loses their job and it got me thinking how would I answer if DH suddenly applied to MI5!

See, I find the whole "bribery" thing insulting actually. I'm not well off but I would never, ever accept a bribe. Morally and because the consequences would be too severe. Whereas someone whose financials on paper are good might just be greedy! Corruption is about more than just "needing" the money.

I'd be annoyed at having to provide all that info too, but I guess if you have no choice then you have to.