§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what estimates she has made of the number of criminal records checks which need be carried out each year by school, colleges and early years settings; [63884]
(2) if she will estimate the annual cost of criminal records checks to schools, colleges and early years settings. [63887]
§ Mr. Miliband[holding answer 24 June 2002]: There are no estimates of numbers or costs available in respect of schools and colleges. My Department does not collect the kind of information about the number of staff and volunteers in these areas that would enable estimates to be made, and therefore the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ofsted arranges checks for those working in early years settings, such as childminders and day care staff, and it expects to request over 350,000 checks this year. We have set aside a sum of money to ensure that individuals in early years settings will not have to meet the CRB fee during the current financial year.