As the government published its recommendations, the backlog of checks being carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) had halved since the height of its troubles last autumn but was still running at more than 51,000.

VETTING BACKLOG Checks taking more than three weeks to process: October: 115,483 November: 104,625 December: 100,201 January: 62,687 Last week: 51,800

The independent report said there was "no evidence" the bureau would ever have been able to meet ministers' original targets for it.

When it began work last year huge backlogs built up in the processing of applications for background checks, meaning teachers could not be put in charge of classes.

In the end the Department for Education had to relax its vetting requirements to get the system moving again.

Recommendations

A three-man team was sent in by the Home office, which oversees the privately-run bureau.

It has now come up with 10 recommendations for change.

These include getting education and health authorities and others seeking checks to do more of the initial work.

The bureau itself would be allowed to decide which applicants should get the more detailed level of "disclosure", as the checks are known, and which should get a standard disclosure.

It also recommended that people who would be dealing with very vulnerable children should be fingerprinted to ensure they were who they claimed to be.

Capita fined

The team was led by businessman Patrick Carter.

"It's going to be a very challenging next two years to get this running at full blast," he said.

His full report was being kept confidential because of "commercial sensitivity", said the Home Office Minister in charge, Lord Falconer.

The firm which runs the CRB, Capita, was originally awarded a �400m contract over 10 years.

Lord Falconer said this would be renegotiated, but he would not say how much Capita has paid in fines as a result of the bureau's shortcomings.

Responsibility for its oversight has been with the Passports Agency, which shares the same Liverpool offices.

There is now going to be a separate executive agency.

Care staff

The Carter report said part of the problem with the CRB was that "public expectations are possibly unreasonably high".

It said there had been a "number of shortcomings" in the system and "fragmentation" and concluded that "radical solutions" were needed.

The bureau's published service standard is that it will turn around within three weeks 90% of the enhanced "disclosures" - the sort that teachers need.

The Home Office says it is currently managing half of them within that time.

As well as teachers, others working with "vulnerable" people have also been affected by the delays.

In November, the government had to postpone a requirement for care home staff, agency nurses and school governors to obtain "enhanced" checks.

'Complaints continue'

The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, David Hart, said the rate of complaints from his members had slowed significantly but the situation was still "wholly unsatisfactory".

"The CRB is still guilty of significant delays," he said.

"I'm still getting complaints from members either about the length of time it's taking to process requests or indeed the incompetence of the bureau."

He said errors included information being sought on members of his who had been head teachers for "umpteen years" and should not need a new clearance.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which represents employment agencies, said it remained concerned that there was still no commitment from the government to compensate those who had been negatively affected by the problems at the CRB.