Disregards and Pardons Scheme

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Miss Sarah Dines)]

I am pleased to announce that the Government are today bringing into force sections 194 and 195 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which will extend the scope of the Government’s disregards and pardons scheme. This is a significant step forward in addressing the wrongs of the past when LGBT people were criminalised for their sexuality in civilian life and while serving in the armed forces.

The original scheme was established in 2012 to enable men to apply to have certain homosexual offences for consensual sex removed from their records. This extension to the scheme will widen the scope to include any repealed or abolished offence that was used to criminalise same-sex sexual activity. The scheme will continue to apply to both civilian and service offences and conditions will remain in place to ensure that only those circumstances befitting of a disregard will be removed from the record.

Individuals will be able to apply to the scheme using an application form which has been published today on gov.uk along with accompanying guidance.

[HCWS848]