RESOURCING
45. Estimates of the level of demand for the Criminal Records
Bureau's services have varied widely. The Home Office's provisional
estimates indicated a total volume of 8 million applications per
annum. A revised estimate increased this to 9 to 12 million annually.
In April 2000 the likely level of demand was estimated to be closer
to 5 million annually. As we pointed out in para 13 above, the
introduction of free checks for volunteers may make demand higher
than expected.
46. Although demand for checks will inevitably fluctuate from
month to month, there will be certain running costs, such as staffing,
which are constant. The need to balance finances so that these
costs can be met will be essential to the Criminal Records Bureau's
success when it becomes operational. We were therefore concerned
that the Criminal Records Bureau has as yet produced no detailed
financial forecasts for the first five years of its operation.
47. We understand that other new bodies such as the Electoral
Commission had to have detailed five year plans in place, covering
expenditure and revenue up to 2005-06. The Minister told us during
oral evidence: "We are still not in a position...to publish
in a coherent way all the various... financial elements which
add up to the budget, the business plan, the fees and so on".[57]
48. We find it unacceptable that a body established under
legislation four years ago is not able to publish detailed financial
estimates in the way required of other agencies.
CONCLUSION
49. We welcome the Government's decision to provide free
criminal records checks for the voluntary sector and acknowledge
the strength of opinion from that sector - made clear in oral
evidence to us - which helped to persuade them to do so.
50. The quality of data on which the Criminal Records Bureau
will rely seems to us to leave much to be desired. If the underlying
data is inadequate the Criminal Records Bureau will never be able
to operate effectively. The Home Office must ensure that improvements
are made to the quality of data stored on the Police National
Computer. The Criminal Records Bureau should closely monitor the
number of complaints it receives that certificates are incorrect
in the first year of operation.
51. The target of becoming operational by this summer seems
ambitious. We believe that it is important for the Criminal Records
Bureau to get it right. We welcome the decision to operate a pilot
scheme. Effort should be concentrated on ensuring that the
Criminal Records Bureau will operate effectively when it starts,
rather than opening earlier and performing inadequately.
52. We agree with the Home Secretary that dangerous people
must be stopped from working with children and vulnerable adults.
We believe that the Criminal Records Bureau has an important role
in making this a reality.
9 Appendix
2, para 11. Back
10 1997
Survey of Volunteering. Back
11 Third
Report from the Home Affairs Committee Criminal Records, HC
285 of Session 1989-90. Back
12 Government
Reply to the Third Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session
1989-90, Criminal Records Cm 1163. Back
13 On
the Record, Cm 3308, June
1996. Back
14 Home
Office press release 494/98 : Criminal Records Bureau to strengthen
child protection safeguards, 14 December 1998. Back
15 Criminal
Records Bureau Brochure: Safer Recruitment to Protect the Vulnerable.
Back
16 Appendix
1, para 9, for more comprehensive explanations. Back
17 See
para 8 below. Back
18 Appendix
1, para 9. "These include...persons who are regularly involved
in caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of
young people under the age of 18, or of vulnerable adults." Back
19 Official
Report, 15 February 2001,
col. 238W; Appendix 17. Back
20 Cabinet
Office press release CAB 006/01: "Brown heralds the start
of a transformation in the relationship between the state and
voluntary sector", 11 January 2001. Back
21 99th
Leicester Beaver Scouts, 1st Lutterworth Scout Group, Earlsdon
Scout District, Diocese of Winchester, ROBOT Scout Troop, Barry
Stewart, Social Responsibility Adviser, Newcastle Diocese. Back
22 Q17
(Mrs Ryall). Back
23 Q181
(Mr Clarke). Back
24 Unprinted
evidence. Back
25 Official
Report, 12 March 2001, col.
610. Back
26 Q10,
(Mr Twine). Back
27 Dwyfor
District Scout Association, 1st Highworth Scout Group, Hutton
(All Saints) Scout Group, 11th Middleton Scout Group, 1st Lutterworth
Scout Group, Greater Manchester Scouts, 1st Walthamstow Scouts.
Back
28 Official
Report, 15 March 2001, col.
695-6w. Back
29 Q130
(Mr Clarke). Back
30 Q58
(Gill Haynes). Back
31 Appendix
4, para 3.7. Back
32 Q59
(Gill Haynes). Back
33 Q121
(Mr Clarke). Back
34 Q120
(Mr Clarke, Mr Wright). Back
35 Appendix
7, para 4.1. Back
36 On
the Record: Thematic Inspection
Report on Police Crime Recording, the Police National Computer
and Phoenix Intelligence System Data Quality, xviii. Back
37 Q189
(Mr Herdan). Back
38 Q217
(Mrs France). Back
39 Appendix
1, para 54. Back
40 On
the Record: Thematic Inspection
Report on Police Crime Recording, the Police National Computer
and Phoenix Intelligence System Data Quality p127, para 8.1.11. Back
41 Appendix
8, para 2.4. Back
42 Third
Report from the Home Affairs Committee Criminal Records,
HC 285 of Session 1989-90. Back
43 Government
Reply to the Third Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session
1989-90, Criminal Records, Cm 1163. Back
44 Appendix
8, para 2.4. Back
45 Appendix
8, para 4.3. Back
46 Appendix
18. Back
47 Appendix
18. Back
48 Home
Office press release 446/99: Criminal Records Bureau - Bidders
Shortlist, 21 December 1999; Home Office press release 211/2000:
Capita wins competition for Criminal Records Bureau Programme,
20 July 2000. Back
49 Official
Report, 6 February 2001,
col. 497w. Back
50 First
Report from the Home Affairs Committee Border Controls,
HC 163-I of Session 2000-01, xlii-xliii. Back
51 Q157
(Mr Herdan). Back
52 Q145
(Mr Herdan). Back
53 Third
Report from the Welsh Affairs Committee Childcare in Wales,
HC 156 of Session 1998-99,
para 25. Back
54
Q216 (Mrs France). Back
55 Q142
(Mr Herdan); Criminal Records Bureau Corporate and Business Plans,
para 5.4. Back
56 Home
Office Press Release 441/99: Criminal Records Bureau - Outcome
of Timetable Review, 16 December 1999. Back
57 Q182
(Mr Clarke). Back