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Offenders

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners. (246341)

The Department undertakes employment history, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Disclosure Scotland checks as appropriate. If these checks identify any issues around people with criminal records then suitability for employment is considered with the Department's interest paramount. In addition, all individuals recruited to a regulated post, or to a post where they have access to personal or sensitive data about children or vulnerable adults are subject to an enhanced CRB check.

Although the information is used as part of the recruitment process, we do not then transfer any details on criminal records to the central personnel record and as such the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.