Q. How confidential are the criminal records?

Criminal records are generally kept confidential. Broadly, vetting is limited to protecting vulnerable people; to ensuring the honesty of the administration of justice; and to matters of national security. This means, for example, that private employers will not usually have access to criminal records. However this changed in July 2002 when any employer will be able to obtain details of unspent convictions if they declared that they needed this information for one of the reasons set out in the Act.  Applicants for taxi licences have been vetted for some time.