Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme applications and Disclosure Scotland employee statistics: FOI release

Information requested

1- How many applications have been made to the PVG scheme in 2025? Please provide the same info for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

2- How many applications have been approved in 2025? Please provide the same info for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

3- How many applications have been rejected in 2025? Please provide the same info for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

4- How many employees are employed with Disclosure Scotland who deal with the PVG scheme? How many were employed in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024?

Response

In response to question 1, the below table provides the number of applications made each financial year to the PVG Scheme for the specified time period.

Notes relevant to the tables can be found in the Notes table underneath tables 1 and 2. Note markers are presented in square brackets, for example: [note 1].

Table 1: Number of Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme applications received, per financial year, from April 2021 to March 2025 [notes 2 and 3]
Financial year application was received within	Total number of PVG applications received in time period
2021/2022	301,849
2022/2023	320,215
2023/2024	308,833
2024/2025	274,406

Table 2: Number of Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme applications received, per financial year, from April to July 2025 [notes 1 to 3]
Financial year application was received within	Total number of PVG applications received in time period
2025/2026 so far (April to July)	166,055

Notes table

Note number	Note text	Links to additional information relevant to note, where applicable	Relevant table(s)
note 1	With the implementation of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 from 01 April 2025 onwards, Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures replaced the basic, standard, enhanced and PVG disclosure levels.	How disclosure levels changed - Disclosure Scotland (opens in a new window)	table 2
note 2	Applications received via an online channel are presented within the month they are received. Applications received by email or sent through the Royal Mail, classified as paper channel applications, are presented within the month they are entered on the system. Please note, for paper channel applications their processing time starts from the date and time they are received by Disclosure Scotland and not from the time the applications have been entered onto the system.	Not applicable	tables 1 and 2
note 3	Any applications that are required to be manually re-entered on to the system due to error or system issues are classified as re-created applications. Please note re-created applications are not included in the received application volumes presented in tables 1 and 2.	Not applicable	tables 1 and 2

In response to questions 2 and 3, Disclosure Scotland does not “approve” or “reject” applications to the scheme.

From 1 April 2025, membership of the PVG scheme became mandatory for those carrying out regulated roles with children and/or protected adults. When an individual applies to join the PVG scheme, Disclosure Scotland will identify any vetting information i.e. convictions, cautions, which is subject to notification requirements under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2003, or information which the chief constable of a relevant police force considers is relevant and ought to be disclosed. Vetting information is included in a Level 2 PVG disclosure enabling organisations to decide whether to offer a job (paid or voluntary) as part of a wider recruitment process. PVG scheme members are subject to continuous monitoring meaning Disclosure Scotland will identify any new vetting information whilst an individual remains in the scheme.

Disclosure Scotland decides whether any vetting information (either at the point of application or through continuous monitoring) indicates an individual may be unsuitable to carry out regulated roles and we will investigate whether they should be barred from the scheme. If a decision is made to bar an individual, Disclosure Scotland notifies the individual concerned, any organisation for which Disclosure Scotland knows the individual is carrying out a regulated role, and any relevant regulatory body.

In response to question 4, the below table includes the number of Disclosure Scotland employees recorded in each financial year where dealing with the PVG scheme forms part of their role.

	2024	2023	2022	2021
Number of Staff working directly on the PVG scheme	284	287	284	289

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