§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to restrict the use of the criminal conviction certificate to employment purposes; and if he will make a statement on the steps that he is taking to ensure that the availability of criminal conviction certificates will not increase recidivism. [83795]
§ Mr. BoatengCriminal conviction certificates will be available to individuals only on application and it will be for the individual concerned to decide to whom to provide the information contained in them. Criminal conviction certificates will give details only of unspent convictions. This is information which applicants can be asked to disclose at the moment. The criminal conviction certificate will allow employers to be sure that the information they have been given is full and accurate. We shall be consulting about guidance on the use of the certificates.