Recommendation 10

The National Audit Office reported that the vetting process used during recruitment had a disproportionate effect on ethnic minority applicants. Applicants of Asian and Black heritage had lower pass rates than those of White heritage and were more likely to succeed in an appeal.14 The Department told us there were a lot of different issues that can play into vetting and why outcomes are as they are. For example, it explained that in the case of Asian females under 26 years old there were a disproportionate number of failures relating to third party associations within the wider family. The Department told us that it had put in place training for vetting managers and those in charge of appeals, and have put in place data standard so it can compare forces.15