The Volunteering Bill, which proposes the introduction of a ‘fit and proper person’ certificate for volunteers, received a lukewarm reception in its second reading in Parliament last week.
During the session, Conservative MP Christopher Chope, who tabled the Bill, criticised Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for volunteers when 95 per cent of people were cleared.
“An individual knows whether they have a criminal record, so they should be quite capable of signing a declaration of whether they do,” he said.
“If they do not, and they sign a declaration to that effect, on the face of it that should be sufficient evidence that they are a fit and proper person to engage in volunteering activity.”
Chope said a ‘fit and proper person’ certificate would reduce bureaucracy and costs, and promote volunteering.
However, a number MPs debating the Bill argued more adequate safeguards for volunteers were needed.
Shadow minister for civil society Roberta Blackman-Woods said the Bill needed a rethink.
“I appreciated that the hon. gentleman [Chope] wants to encourage higher levels of volunteering, but the Bill does not do that. It presents something of a circular argument.
“It is not clear who, if anybody, would check the background of the people who signed the statement or what system would be in place to verify what they had stated, who would administer the certificate system, how long the so-called fit and proper person certificate would last, and whether it would need to be updated after a number of years. I think a rethink on the Bill is needed.”
Minister for civil society Nick Hurd also criticised the Bill, saying the government would not support it, preferring instead to reform the CRB process.
"There is of course a balance to be struck between protection and trust," said Hurd. "But we think that a basic level of protection and independent verification of claims is necessary and believe that the CRB checks fulfils that role, although we are very clear that it needs to be reformed and retuned in terms of proportionality and a return to common sense."
Volunteering umbrella body Volunteering England has also chosen not to support the Bill.
Its chief executive, Justin Davis Smith, said: "Whilst we welcome the move to reduce the red tape surrounding volunteering, we do not believe the proposals in Mr Chope’s Private Member's Bill are the answer. Safeguarding is an important issue, and we hope that reforms to the current CRB system within the Protection of Freedoms Bill will strike the appropriate balance - ensuring vulnerable people are protected whilst making sure volunteers aren’t put off.
"Volunteering England has worked with Lord Hodgson’s De-regulation Taskforce to identify the barriers to volunteering and how we can work together to overcome them. Our campaign to free volunteering from red tape is under way to make it easier for people to give their time, and we will continue to do all we can to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy."
