More than nine million people will be freed from bureaucracy under government plans to cut the amount of red tape faced by people working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults, it has been revealed.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg outlined plans to roll back the number of criminal record checks carried out on workers in a bid to make the system more efficient and put a halt to what has been regarded by some as an erosion of civil liberties.
Under the Protection of Freedoms Bill, only individuals who work most closely with children or vulnerable adults will be subjected to the checks and people will not have to be continually checked whenever they move jobs.
The Bill, which could become law by early next year, will merge the Criminal Records Bureau with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to form one criminal records checking service.
The number of jobs requiring checks will be cut and those working or volunteering with vulnerable groups will no longer need to register with the vetting and barring scheme or be continuously monitored by the ISA.
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