Security Clearance

These seem to be government arrangements. Army clearances are different. The Guardian does not explain how a drunken pornographer like Campbell got high clearance. Abuse of power by Blair springs to mind. Then there is Brown, a communist apparatchik. Believe nothing until it is officially denied.

From http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/21/andy-coulson-security-clearance-vetting

Vetting levels

Strap' classification
Used for particularly sensitive information, and is sub-divided into three levels of access: documents have a cover sheet that must be signed each time they are accessed.

 

Developed vetting (DV)
Required for any officials with routine or unsupervised access to top-secret material. To receive this level of clearance, applicants must complete a 53-page assessment form. That is then verified with a three-hour interview, and references are cross-checked. The process can be expedited to a few weeks, but can take up to six months.

 

Security check (SC)
Grants routine access to secret material, but only occasional supervised access to top-secret documents. Applicants fill out a 29-page form and are subject to security and credit reference checks. The process typically takes just a few weeks, but can be completed faster.

 

Counter-terrorism check (CTC)
Basic security check for people in close proximity to public figures, or with access to low-level sensitive information. Applicants have their criminal records and other security information checked.