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<p>The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) receives around 4 million disclosure applications
a year and provides the Home Office with monthly updates on the length of time taken
to process disclosure checks. Latest figures relating to May 2015 show that 94.6%
of disclosure applications were processed within 56 days against a DBS service standard
to issue 95% of all disclosures within this time. Most disclosure applications are
processed in a shorter timescale and, in May 2015, 87.3% of applications were processed
within 21 days. The average time taken to process applications nationally in May 2015
was 14.2 days and in the West Midlands 24.7 days.</p><p>A key aspect of DBS administration
is to ensure that disclosure checks are both accurate and completed within service
standard timescales. In the small proportion of cases where checks have not been completed
within these timescales, the DBS is expected to take the necessary steps to progress
the case including, as appropriate, working with the police and other parties involved
in the checking process.</p>
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