Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by David Ruffley (Conservative) on Thursday, 10 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 July 2008. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Monday, 29 September 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Departmental Vetting

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of staff recruited to (a) her Department and (b) its agencies were required to have a Criminal Records Bureau check before an offer of employment was made in each year since 2002.
Answer

A Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is primarily a requirement for posts that involve working with children and/or vulnerable adults. Home Office headquarters and the Criminal Records Bureau do not require staff to undergo CRB checks prior to being offered employment. The UK Border Agency has carried out 1,449 CRB checks in total for staff since 2002. A breakdown by year could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) only require staff within the Interview Office Network to undergo CRB checks. The network has been in place for three years. Table 1 shows the percentage of IPS staff employed who had CRB checks before being made an offer of employment in each year was as follows:

Table 1
Percentage of staff
2005-06 1.6
2006-07 13.5
2007-08 1.4

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
219042; 479 c2334-5W
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Criminal records Employment agencies Home Office Passports Vetting Emigration
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk