To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) employed by and (b) working as contractors and couriers for the Identity and Passport Service have been subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks at each level of disclosure. (181629)

The only Identity and Passport Service (IPS) staff required to have Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance are staff within the Interview Office Network. Currently there are 493 staff in post and they all have CRB clearance. This is part of the pre-employment checks.

For interims, consultants, and contractors on work packages, none are required to have CRB checks as they are not working with children or the vulnerable.

IPS partners, special mail services (SMS) couriers, undergo a number of employment checks, but are not CRB checked.