Written question asked by Tim Loughton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 January 2006. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Thursday, 9 March 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Working with Children

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals who are on the sex offenders' register are currently working in the (a) NHS, (b) social services departments and (c) children's services departments.

Answer: The responsibility for carrying out pre-employment checks, including Criminal Records Bureau, Protection of Children's Act and Protection of Vulnerable Adults checks where applicable, rests with the relevant employer whether an national health service organisation or social services department or other regulated provider of health or social care. The NHS is required to follow the guidance, ““Safer Recruitment”” issued in May 2005, which covers all the pre-and post-appointment checks that NHS employers are required to make before appointing anyone, including employees, volunteers, students, trainees, to a position in the NHS. In regulated social care, we expect providers to comply with regulations on pre-employment checks made under the Care Standards Act 2000, which came into force in April 2002.Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and Schedule 3 to the 2003 Act came into force on 1 May 2004. The act requires convicted sex offenders to report each year to their local police and inform the police if they change their name or address within three days instead of the previous 14 days.

Secondary information