Speeches by Munt.

“Thank you. I have a particular interest because I have a piece of casework, and I might have to speak to you later. How common are errors or outdated information on DBS certificates?”

“Is it easy to correct something that is incorrect?”

“We have picked up that employment piece, and the education piece is important. I wonder if you could talk about the impact of having a criminal record and the disclosure of that. How might that impact on somebody’s rehabilitation opportunities?”

“Thank you. Can I ask a quick question? I know that some new arrangements came into play last Wednesday.”

“Can people check their own record?”

“Thank you for coming. Thank you for what you do. Can you briefly outline what a criminal record is and what information can be held on one?”

“Do they know that the tutor has requested it? They will not know that.”

“As a last observation, it was quite interesting when members of the Committee visited HMP Bronzefield, where prison staff were bringing local employers into the prison to speak with prisoners with the aim of reducing that stigma of hiring ex-offenders. Probably the more that happens, it sounds as though that would be a…”

“Quickly, do you sense a difference between younger offenders and those who are perhaps older in their chances of going into employment? I wondered.”

“I was wondering particularly about younger people who may have been involved in things like county lines, who can turn their lives around if they are in a different place or in a different set of circumstances and away from trouble.”

“Okay. I should know this because I am working here: can I apply to do a check on myself?”

“It is such a big change. That 7.3 million will rise because a lot of people want to know what is held on them.”

“Thank you. Having employed people in the past who had both spent and unspent convictions, I understand that it is so important that we bring people back into society. You have mentioned already the national insurance break. I wondered what other support the Government provides to employers to promote hiring people who …”

“What do you think? Where might the Government go with this if they were being open and helpful and stuff?”

“I am the Member of Parliament for Wells and Mendip Hills in Somerset. Everything is on the register, but I will point out that I am a director and vice chair of WhistleblowersUK and I am also the vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on penal affairs.”

“I invite you to write to the Chair. That would be good. I might do the same. Have you anything you want to add?”

“Good. Is that turning into something material?”

“Thank you very much indeed.”

“Thank you. Quickly, may I ask you of your experiences as employers of people who are ex-offenders? What would you say?”

“We have picked up that employment piece, and the education piece is important. I wonder if you could talk about the impact of having a criminal record and the disclosure of that. How might that impact on somebody’s rehabilitation opportunities?”