Written question asked by Nicholas Brown (Labour) on Monday, 30 April 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 May 2007. It was answered by Joan Ryan (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 May 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Vetting

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants for Criminal Records Bureau clearance checks for working with children there were in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of these applications were paid for by (a) the public purse and (b) individuals.

Answer: For positions which involve working with children, the Criminal Records Bureau’s (CRB) Standard and Enhanced Disclosures will include a check against the Protection of Children Act list (POCA), where this is specifically requested by the employer or the registered body on the application form. In financial year 2006-07, the last period for which figures are available, there were 2,554,970 disclosures issued where a check against the POCA list had been requested.It is for an employer to decide whether or not to bear the cost of a disclosure or to pass the cost on to an applicant. I am unable to confirm how many applications were paid for by the public purse or by the applicants themselves because such data are not collated by the CRB. Disclosures are processed free of charge for those who apply for voluntary positions.

Secondary information