§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the number of employers who have decided not to employ someone as a result of a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure in the last five years; and what guidance is given to employers to ensure that such decisions are based on a fair assessment of the relevance of disclosed offences; [144963]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of employees turned down for jobs following a Criminal Records Bureau check in the last five years. [144964]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 18 December 2003]There are no records available to indicate the number of employees that have been turned down for jobs following a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. Recruitment decisions are entirely a matter for the employer and the CRB would not normally comment on a person's suitability for a position. However, an independent survey has shown that, since the CRB launched its Disclosure service in March 2002, an estimated 18 per cent. of employers that have used the service have decided not to employ an individual as a consequence of conviction information or another matter contained in a Disclosure.
441WAll recipients of Disclosure information issued by the CRB are subject to a Code of Practice, made under the Police Act 1997 and laid before Parliament. This makes it clear that no recipient of Disclosure information shall unfairly discriminate against the subject of the information on the basis of conviction or other details revealed. The ode requires job applicants to be advised that successful applicants will be required to request a Disclosure, but that a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment. The CRB has also produced other guidance, and has collaborated with and endorsed guidance produced by other bodies designed to help employers to arrive at fair and balanced recruitment decisions.