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R23

Database access for identity verification

Bichard Inquiry · The Bichard Inquiry Report · Issued 22 June 2004 · Addressed to: Home Office

Government responseHome Office: Accepted (Dec 2004)

DeliveryHome Office says in progress (May 2007)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

Registered Bodies, or the CRB, should be able to check passports and driving licences presented as proof of identity against the Passport Service and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) databases.

Bichard Inquiry, The Bichard Inquiry Report · 22 Jun 2004 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

In May 2007, the Home Office reported that work on the recommendation was in progress, but stated that further work by the Criminal Records Bureau on formal data-sharing arrangements with the DVLA had been "put on hold" due to links with its wider identity management programme (Home Office, May 2007). The department had previously accepted the recommendation in December 2004, stating that provision for statutory data-sharing gateways to verify applicant identity was included in proposed legislation (Home Office response, Dec 2004).

Sources

Home Office, May 2007

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Report-level response context

The Government accepted all 31 recommendations collectively: the Home Secretary's written statement of 11 January 2005 records that "All 31 recommendations were accepted by the Government when the Inquiry reported in June 2004". No document states an acceptance decision for any single recommendation. The response shown against each recommendation is the Home Office's answer to it in the first progress report, sent to Sir Michael Bichard on 22 December 2004 and placed in the Library of the House on 11 January 2005. The Government then reported against the recommendations three more times, in November 2005, May 2006 and May 2007; the updates shown are taken from those reports.

Government response

●Home Office · Accepted · 22 Dec 2004

Words of: Home Office, Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Progress Report, 22 December 2004

Provision for statutory data-sharing gateways between the CRB and UKPS, DVLA and DWP for the purpose of verifying applicant identity is included in the current SOCPB.

Response document: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Progress Report

Delivery

●Home Office says in progress · 22 May 2007

The future model for identity checking is substantially linked to the Home Office’s ID Management Programme, a major programme of work in its own right, and therefore any further work by the CRB on formal data-sharing arrangements with the DVLA have been put on hold.

From: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Fourth Progress Report

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.