The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has welcomed key measures in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill.

Ruth Kelly, secretary of state for education, yesterday unveiled legislation to set up a vetting and barring system for those who work with children and vulnerable adults. The issue has been controversial following the revelation

that convicted sex offenders were working in schools.

The REC also welcomed the proposed simplification of the checking regime. But it added that “real concerns remain” about the viability of the general Criminal Records Bureau checking system and the “severe backlogs”.

John Dunn, chair of the REC Education Sector Group, said: “The simplification of the checking regime is badly needed and the introduction of an independent panel to take decisions about individual cases should restore confidence in the system.

"Recruitment agencies have a key role to play in ensuring that the right checks have taken place.

"However their judgement was only as good as the information they were provided with”.