Applications to change the DPS will now no longer need to be sent to the outgoing DPS, the Home Office has confirmed.
Immigration Act
Following changes, introduced as part of the Immigration Act, the form that needs to be filled out to change the DPS for a licensed site now needs to include the date of birth, place of birth and nationality of the incoming DPS.
The law had previously stated the outgoing DPS should be sent a copy of this form to advise them of the change.
The Home Office has now altered this procedure because providing the outgoing DPS with this additional information would be in breach of data protection laws.
It will now be sufficient to verbally inform the outgoing DPS that the application is being made, the Home Office said, although the full application form will still need to be sent to the police as before.
Not made aware
Licensees contacted by The Morning Advertiser, including one that had submitted an application to be a pub’s new DPS in the past month, unanimously said that they had not been made aware of the change in process.
However, the Home Office has said that it is in the process of putting together revised forms that make this change in process clear.