§ Lord Weatherillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for revising the original cost of criminal record checks on volunteers under Part V of the Police Act 1997; and what is the likely cost per annum to individuals; and [HL2627]
What research they have undertaken to examine the financial impact of criminal record checks on the voluntary sector; and whether the report will be published. [HL2628]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonWe are implementing Part V through the establishment of the Criminal Records Bureau. When the bureau comes into operation it will be expected to recover its costs through charges for the certificates that it will issue, on application, to individuals. It will be for employers and organisations to decide whether to reimburse the cost. Until the bureau's operating costs have been determined it will not be possible to fix the charges. We have made clear our determination to keep the cost as low as possible.
Before we introduce regulations which will set the price of certificates, we shall carry out a regulatory impact assessment, in consultation with bodies affected by the fees to be charged by the bureau, including representative of voluntary and volunteering organisations. This will provide a thorough and up-to-date assessment of the implications. We shall make the results available.