§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which personnel for whom a criminal record check should have been secured remain exempt due to the backlog of checks at the Criminal Records Bureau; and [HL1109]
When the relaxation of the rules for criminal record checks will be lifted; and [HL1110]
How many people are awaiting criminal record checks, including those who received temporary exemption. [HL1111]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)As set out in the Answer I gave to a Question by my noble friend Lady Billingham on 1 November (WA 48–50), in the light of a review of the projected likely capacity of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) against projected demand for its service, it has been necessary to take temporary measures not to increase the level of demand by postponing certain requirements for mandatory checks.
In care homes for adults, only providers and managers were subject to checks prior to 1 April 2002. An estimated 100,000 new staff per year will continue to be subject to CRB checks, as will providers and managers. But an estimated 300,000 staff who were already in post on 1 April and who have not already applied for checks will not need to be checked for the time being.
Both new and existing nurses supplied by nurses' agencies and staff supplied by domiciliary care agencies will also not need to be checked for the time being. A requirement for all such personnel to be checked in the current financial year would have entailed up to an estimated 200,000 in each group. Thereafter, it is estimated that some 50,000 staff supplied by nurses' agencies and 60,000 staff supplied by domiciliary care agencies would have needed to be checked each year. Nurses supplied as new staff to establishments where requirements for mandatory checks are in force (including adult care homes and children's homes) will continue to be subject to checks. So will providers and managers of nurses' agencies and domiciliary care agencies. The Nurses Agency and Domiciliary Care Agency Regulations will still come into effect on 1 April 2003, but without the requirement for CRB checks for care workers and nurses supplied by agencies. Care workers and nurses supplied by agencies will be required to provide a statement that they have no criminal convictions or to provide a statement of any criminal convictions that they do have.
The Government remain committed to introducing CRB checks in these areas at the earliest possible opportunity.
Finally, school governors will also not be required to have CRB checks for the time being. Such checks would have generated an estimated 70,000–90,000 applications per year. The Department for Education and Skills will still be going ahead with the 36WA introduction of the School Governance (Constitution) Regulations to come into effect in March 2003 but without the requirement for CRB checks.