CRB bars 130,000 unsuitable applicants

Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone said in a parliamentary written answer "that around 130,000 unsuitable people have been prevented from gaining access to children or vulnerable people, as a direct result of CRB checks in the past six years". She gave Conservative MP Julian Brazier a breakdown of the number of people prevented from taking up posts, which included: 20,000 out of 2.6m checks in 2004; 25,000 out of 2.7m in 2005; 15,000 out of 3.2m in 2006; 20,000 out of 3.3m in 2007; 18,000 out of 3.7m in 2008; and 33,000 out of 4.2m in 2009. "The Home Office is committed to reviewing the criminal records regime. The terms of reference for the review are currently under consideration and further announcements will be made in due course," Featherstone added. In June, home secretary Theresa May announced that the vetting scheme for those working with children and vulnerable adults would be scaled down. Registration for the scheme, which was due to begin this month, has been suspended while the review takes place.