Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing DBS checks that are portable for an individual applicant rather than an organisation.

A DBS certificate is sent directly to the applicant only. Where an individual applies for another role within the same workforce which is eligible and requires the same type of DBS check, they may use their existing certificate if the employer is content to accept it. In this context, it is the employer’s decision whether to use an existing certificate or to request a new one.

The DBS Update Service, launched in June 2013, supports the portability of an individual’s certificate by ensuring the information is up to date. Once an individual joins the Update Service, they are able to keep their certificate up to date by giving employers permission to check if anything has changed on their certificate, as long as the role is in the same workforce and eligible for the same level of check as the existing certificate.

The Update service allows existing and new employers to undertake instant online checking of DBS certificates with the individual’s consent, thus saving time and money. The applicant would only need to obtain a new certificate in cases where there has been a change in recorded information, or in cases where they need to apply for a different type of criminal record check. The Update Service is free to use for volunteers and costs £16 a year for paid employees.