Debt, Mental Illness, PPI's and DMP help needed please

[ScarletPimpernel]

On 07/04/2019 at 12:15, Neeta said:

 

He currently has SC clearance but with a review date

- we fully disclosed our previous credit problems and detailed our payment plans to resolve them when he applied for clearance.

 

When he gets reviewed and it shows that we have stopped paying some of these off they may withdraw his clearance which will stop him being able to work.

 

I know you won't agree with this at all but I am tempted to offer a Full and Final payment, just to stop this getting worse again (for me personally and my mental health) and it affecting my husbands ability to work.

We are just getting on our feet again.

 

Given what I've explained about the SC would you have any additional advice please?

 

I've just completed my SC review and the format and some of the questions have changed since my last review.

 

You are now asked whether you have ever had any financial difficulties, so the idea that anything not on your CRA file doesn't matter is no longer current.

My advice is to declare everything (or at least to call NVS and ask whether you need to declare); you can also add an explanation to your forms.

 

My experience has been, in assisting someone who had £40+k debts, and speaking to NVS as her line manager, is that they are looking for you to demonstrate integrity. Being in debt is one thing - and it may be a pointer to susceptibility to risk, but not fatal, but showing lack of integrity is a surefire way to lose your clearance.  In the case of my staff member, I explained that she had been completely honest with me, that I had helped her to access a DMP,  but that some debts were disputed or statute-barred and no payments were being made on them. They accepted this, and she was cleared with a review at 6 months and 12 months - all they asked was proof that she was continuing to engage with her DMP.  I friend of mine, who has a DV clearance, went over his credit card limit - NVS simply asked him to show that he was paying off the overspend, and suggested that he stayed within the limit in future!  The thing is that NVS aren't looking to find ways not to grant clearances; they are looking to show that people aren't at risk or likely to become security risks.  Showing that you are dealing with issues is the important thing.