Vetting costs to be less than forecast

The cost of running the vetting and barring scheme for people working with children and vulnerable adults could be millions of pounds less than previous estimates.

Junior education minister Lord Adonis revealed last week that the government expected the scheme to cost £16m a year to run for the first five years.

This compares with the £22m forecast last year in the second progress report on the Bichard Inquiry.

Adonis told the second reading of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill in the House of Lords that the scheme would cost nearly £17m to set up, compared with last November’s estimate of £12-19m.

The government is also seeking views on the composition of the independent barring board that will decide whether to prevent people working with children and vulnerable adults. In a consultation for selected stakeholders, it said the board would have about 10 members, likely to be full-time, who must “command the confidence of the public”.

Organisations must submit responses to the Department for Education and Skills by 21 April.

During the Lords debate, peers criticised plans to set up separate lists of people disqualified from working with children and from working with vulnerable adults.

Lord Laming, who led the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié, raised concerns and called for “efficient links” between the lists.

There was also criticism of some vague wording in the legislation, including the definition of harm.