§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what purposes his Department requires a birth certificate to be furnished by(a) employees, (b) contractors, (c) those applying for employment and contracts and (d) other persons. [120321]
§ Mr. WillsThe Department requests a birth certificate from the following persons
- employees—where there is any doubt about their age, in circumstances where they are being considered for voluntary or compulsory early release or normal age retirement as prescribed by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and the Civil Service Compensation Scheme;
- those applying for employment—as reliable evidence of age, nationality and, with other documents, their identity;
- others—include those eligible children of members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme who die in service; where positive proof of their lineage is required so they can be paid pension entitlements.
Although the Department does not as a rule request birth certificates from current contractors or those applying for contracts, there have been circumstances, where there is a doubt on age, where a birth certificate has been requested to establish whether their employees are within legal age limits for employment.