Press Release - Criminal Records Bureau: Delivering Safer
Recruitment?
12 February 2004
There were problems in performance during the first seven months
after the launch of the Criminal Records Bureau but, following
joint action by the Bureau, Capita and the Home Office, the Bureau
is now delivering reliably each week over twice the number of
Disclosures of criminal records undertaken by the police under the
old arrangements. The Disclosure service offered by the Bureau is
now more comprehensive and consistent than that which existed
before it was set up.
Today’s report to Parliament by head of the NAO Sir John Bourn
covers the setting up of the Bureau, a Public Private Partnership
between the Home Office and Capita, and the problems which it
experienced during part of 2002. The Bureau’s objective is to widen
access to criminal records so that employers can make better
informed recruitment decisions to protect children and vulnerable
adults. The Bureau can constitute only one source of information
and risk management for employers making employment decisions.
The Bureau was intended to begin operations in
September 2001 but problems in finalising the process
requirements , IT system, and other issues, including additional
testing delayed the start until March 2002. By June 2003, nearly 95
per cent of both Enhanced and Standard Disclosures were being
issued to the required timescale; but the issue of Basic
Disclosures has been delayed until at least the end of 2004 pending
consultation with stakeholders and evaluation of demand and, hence,
the service being offered to the public is narrower than
planned.
The key findings of today’s report are as
follows.
- Weaknesses in the business assumptions made at the start of the
project and in the delivery of systems to process all types of
application were key factors in the Bureau's problems. In
particular, the then Passport and Records Agency assumed, without
sufficient market research, that between 70 and 85 per cent of
people would apply by telephone to a call centre and others would
apply online, both application channels designed to be customer
friendly and consistent with the Government’s modernisation agenda.
In practice over 80 per cent of applications came in paper form,
and instead of being submitted separately by individuals (another
of the Agency’s assumptions), many were submitted in bulk by
Registered Bodies. These outcomes required fundamental changes when
system and process design was well advanced and problems were
compounded by the high level of error in applicants’ forms. The
telephone application process also did not work as envisaged or
specified. The NAO report emphasises the importance of consulting
potential service users at the earliest opportunity.
- The timetable proved ambitious with twelve months for both the
Agency and Capita to develop systems and processes, recruit and
train staff, market the service and set up financial
arrangements.
- There were significant differences between the final three bids
received on timescale, price and proposed mix of application
channels. The Capita bid was much lower than those of competitors.
One of the competitors’ bids raised questions about the realism of
the timetable, while another assumed a different application
channel mix.
- The partnership between the Agency and Capita did not operate
as initially intended. Both parties began the development of the
business processes and systems in a constructive way although the
relationship came under stress as problems mounted. Matters were
complicated by the lack of single operational ownership of the
whole process. The turnaround in the Bureau’s performance once a
Service Improvement Plan jointly instigated by the Bureau and
Capita was put in place, however, shows that the key to running a
complex, new start operation with a private sector partner is to
work together as a team to solve operational problems. The Service
Improvement Plan began to yield results within six weeks and the
situation was stabilised in six months.
- The Bureau’s problems have impacted adversely on the intended
level of service for customers which is not yet as extensive as the
Government had planned. Checks on social care and health care
workers, due to commence by 31 March 2003, did not start until
October 2003. The Government also intended that, from early 2003,
the Bureau would undertake checks against the Department of
Health’s list of persons considered unsuitable to work with
vulnerable adults, provided for in the Care Standards Act 2000, but
implementation of these checks has also been deferred until June
2004. The issue of Basic Disclosures has been delayed until at
least the end of 2004.
- The Bureau will not break even until 2005-06, a year later than
originally planned. The taxpayer is funding residual deficits for
2002-03 through to 2004-05 which are forecast at £68.2 million in
total.
In addition, Sir John Bourn has qualified the Criminal Records
Bureau’s accounts for 2002-03 owing to irregular payments to police
forces by the Bureau; errors on income and debtors; together with
income and debtors not being supported by adequate accounting
records during part of the year.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"The performance problems suffered by the Criminal
Records Bureau caused considerable difficulties for customers but
the situation has improved through the cooperative action of the
two partners. The extent of the increased protection afforded to
the vulnerable needs to be evaluated over time, but the new service
has widened employers’ access to criminal records. The Bureau’s
experiences emphasise the importance of testing key business
assumptions and consulting with potential users at an early stage,
and of working in partnership with contractors from the start to
solve problems."
Notes for Editors
Following the difficulties experienced by the Criminal Records
Bureau in 2002, an Independent Review Team was appointed by the
Home Secretary and subsequently presented ten recommendations for
improvement. These included rationalising the roles of Registered
Bodies, the Agency, Capita and local police forces to increase
efficiency, moving to mandate that all applications should be
electronic, and making the Bureau a separate Executive Agency of
the Home Office. In February 2003, the Home Secretary announced
that the Government had accepted nine of the ten recommendations
for potential implementation and would consult on the tenth (the
routing of applications for Basic Disclosures through Registered
Bodies) before coming to a final view.
An Enhanced Disclosure covers all convictions,
cautions, reprimands or warnings on the Police National Computer
and any relevant intelligence held by local police forces in whose
areas the applicant has lived in the previous five years. A
Standard Disclosure is based on checks of unspent and
spent convictions and of cautions, reprimands or warnings on the
Police National Computer. Checks may be made on lists held by the
Department for Education and Skills. A Basic Disclosure
comprises unspent convictions on the Police National Computer.
The Capita Group of companies provides professional support
services such as call centres, fee collection, and accounts
services among others, on long term contracts in both the public
and private sector. It had a turnover of £898 million in 2002.
Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website at http://www.nao.org.uk/ Hard
copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702
3474.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the head
of the National Audit Office which employs some 800 staff. He and
the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 12/04
All enquiries to Barry Lester, NAO Press Office:
Tel: 020 7798 7937
Mobile: 07748 181692