Capita fined for criminal checks crisis

The company responsible for running the Criminal Records Bureau
on behalf of the home office has been forced to pay back nearly
£2 million for its part in the bureau’s poor performance,
writes Clare Jerrom.

Paul Goggins, the new minister with responsibility for the CRB,
said Capita has been forced to pay back £1.8 million in
liquidated damages and service credits up to January this year in a
letter to Matthew Taylor, the Liberal Democrat shadow treasury
spokesperson.

“The fact that ministers have already clawed back
£1.8 million in penalties shows what a monumental failure the
Criminal Records Bureau has been,” Taylor said. “This
contract was a botched job for which the government and private
sector must share equal blame.”

“To make matters worse, the contract and the penalties
incurred under it have been shrouded in secrecy,” he
added.