After continuous lobbying from the Transport for London, The Mayor of London, the taxi trade and women’s safety campaigners, the government are no allowing licensing authorities across the UK to have access to the information disclosed on Enhanced CRB Checks.
In March 2011, the Home Office guidance stated that taxi drivers and private hire drivers no longer qualified for an Enhanced CRB Check. Enhanced CRB Checks have strict eligibility guidelines which are predominately for people who work with vulnerable adults or children.
Apply for an Enhanced CRB Checks for taxi drivers
Criminal Records Certificates: Taxi Drivers
Lord Henley: My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Equalities and Criminal Information (Lynne Featherstone) has today made the following written ministerial statement:
The Government has received representations from a number of organisations concerning the appropriate level of criminal records checks for licensed taxi and public hire vehicle drivers. At present the legal entitlement for many drivers is for a standard level criminal records check, although the practice has grown up of applying for enhanced level checks across the sector. These checks include any relevant local police information, in addition to a record of previous criminal convictions, cautions and warnings.
Having carefully considered these representations, and consulted representatives of the sector, we have decided that:
- All taxi and private hire drivers should be entitled to enhanced criminal records checks; and
- Licensing authorities will additionally be entitled to check whether any applicant is barred from work with children or vulnerable adults under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
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