Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the (a) number and (b) proportion of Disclosure and Barring Service certificates provided to employers which are (i) fake and (ii) falsified.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent from the Home Office and neither Home Office or DBS holds estimates on either the number or proportion of DBS certificates which are fake or falsified.

However, the DBS does publish guidance to employers on how to check that a DBS certificate is genuine and what to do if they have concerns: DBS checks: guidance for employers - GOV.UK.

DBS certificates include numerous security features which can be used to verify whether it has been counterfeited or altered. These include the certificate being produced on a uniquely sized paper stock, the presence of a crown seal watermark, and a complex design using specific inks. Employers should contact DBS directly if they have concerns about the authenticity of a DBS certificate.