Sir Robert Buckland said the 29,383 people fined by the courts should
have their “slates wiped clean” rather than risk their career prospects
being hampered by convictions handed out at an “exceptional time”.
Sir
Robert’s call has been backed by two former Cabinet ministers and
charities while a source close to Alex Chalk, the current Justice
Secretary, said he was also sympathetic to the idea of wiping the slate
clean.
Magistrates fined people for breaking Covid restrictions,
resulting in criminal convictions that could bar them from working as
teachers, social workers or police officers.
Police can pass on
these details to potential employers if they are deemed ‘relevant’ for
criminal background checks for sensitive jobs where applicants deal with
vulnerable people or children.
People are also required to
declare any criminal convictions when applying for visas to visit
countries like the U.S. and Canada, both of which reserve the right to
permanently ban anyone who fails to reveal one.
Offences
including attending gatherings, leaving home during lockdowns and
failing to wear face coverings resulted in fines, with three quarters of
those handed out between 2020 and 2023 going to people under the age of
40.
Sir Robert, who was Justice Secretary from July 2019 to
September 2021, said any background criminal checks should focus on
those who might be a threat to public safety, rather than people fined
in the “exceptional circumstances” of a pandemic.
He said: “It
is not proportionate or necessary at a time when we want to encourage
and support as many people back to work as possible. If it is not being
recorded in the usual way as a previous conviction, I would wipe the
slate clean.”
Sir Robert is among three former Cabinet ministers
and charities demanding an amnesty following the Government’s previous
assurances that Covid fines were not intended to criminalise large
numbers of people.
Sir David Davis, a former Cabinet Minister,
said all but the most egregious breaches should be “obliterated” from
the record. He said: “Much of the Covid regulation was heavy handed,
unnecessary and penalised people wrongly. For this to turn into a
lifetime penalty is a shameful disgrace and we should correct it as soon
as possible.”
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Business
Secretary, said: “It is time for an amnesty on Covid fines which were an
unnecessarily draconian measure at the time but with hindsight look
entirely disproportionate.”...<<<Read More>>>...