As we thought, the government decided not to appeal the Court of Appeal decision ruling CRB checks unlawful. Instead, they will change the law to allow the Disclosure and Barring Service to filter out convictions, in limited circumstances.
And they are limited. To be removed, the individual must only have one conviction which did not result in a custodial sentence, it must be at least 11 years old (5 ½ years if under 18 when the conviction was received) and must not be a specified offence (sexual offences, for example).
For now, it is business as usual as this change will only come into force once new legislation has been passed.
So it’s a step in the right direction. Coupled with other vetting and barring changes, it will help ensure a sensible balance is achieved between protecting the vulnerable and an individual’s right to privacy.