Speeches by Munt.

“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.”

“Reforms were made to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. What were those reforms, and what impacts did they have for those with criminal records?”

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

“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?”

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

“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…”

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

“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.”

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

“Can people check their own record?”

“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.”

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

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

“Are there other aspects like perhaps travel?”

“Changes to income tax reporting from April mean that childminders need to claim tax relief on specific purchases, rather than the current 10% wear and tear allowance. Deanne, one of my local childminders, points out that wear and tear is a daily reality for the few professionals who face very young children in the stag…”

“What my hon. Friend has said puts me in mind of another case in a village not far from where I live, where a cleaner was systematically thieving from elderly and vulnerable residents. This went on for years, and every time the person nearly got caught or was interviewed by the police, they just left their job and moved…”

“I thank the Minister for her statement. I know that she is a woman on a mission, and let us hope that we get to the end of this before terribly long. We know that the Government are struggling with accepting the families’ wish that we should pick up amendment 23 and its consequential amendments. I am mystified about th…”

“The Minister refers to the fact that the DBS would be able to check whether somebody who was going to work abroad had a problem with their clearance. Will that work in reverse? For example, if someone is trying to employ an au pair from another country—I do not know if people can even do that any more—could the au pair…”