Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 – Revised briefing note

This briefing note examines the workings and impact of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (“ROA 1974”), as amended and its application to licensing, together with the use of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). It is intended to assist licensing professionals, lawyers, councillors and applicants and licensees, but does not constitute legal advice.

This briefing note replaces the one previously published in March 2025: https://iol.instituteoflicensing.org/articles/66fcd17af17d900008fdcb39