Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the Disclosure and Barring Service is notified when a registered sex offender changes their gender.

All applicants for criminal record certificates issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) are required to sign a legal declaration confirming that they have disclosed both their current and previous identities. The DBS has systems in place, including working with HM Passport Office and the police, to verify identity and detect previous cautions and convictions an applicant may hold, including those obtained under a previous identity. Police forces supply all relevant nominal data to DBS to ensure that checks are as complete and robust as possible.