Liberal Democrats are calling on the Scottish Government to reduce the "stubborn" rate of disputes arising from information given out in background checks.
Disclosure Scotland, which provides companies and voluntary sector organisations with information about people's criminal history, has seen the details it provided challenged 855 times in the past three years. Just over half of the challenges (435) were upheld.
While the number of disputes received and upheld have both been falling since 2009-10, Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes stressed that accuracy is key.
The disclosure system was put in place to provide background checks on those looking to work with children or vulnerable adults. But people can dispute the accuracy of the information provided, challenging it if, for example, an offence committed by someone else is included or if the details of an offence are inaccurate.
In 2009-10 Disclosure Scotland received 380 disputes and upheld 198 (52%) of them. The following year the number of disputes fell to 282 but more were upheld, 161 (57%). Last year 193 disputes were received and 76 (39%) were upheld. The number of disputes upheld in 2011-12 represents just 0.02% of all applications Disclosure Scotland processed that year.
Ms McInnes said the figures show that "half of all disputes against information from a criminal record check were upheld in the past three years". She said: "This includes cases of mistaken identity or cases when inaccurate information is given in the disclosure check."
While Disclosure Scotland seeks to resolve disputes within 21 days, the Lib Dem MSP said this could take longer and that delays could "cause all sorts of problems to organisations who must have their staff or volunteers vetted through a disclosure".
She said: "Uncertainty around information held on a criminal record check can also be humiliating for the would-be volunteer or worker. Disclosure Scotland is a crucial gatekeeper in protecting young people and vulnerable groups in Scotland. But the key to any system which has the potential to become overburdened in red tape is accuracy. Ministers must look into these findings and seek to bring down the stubborn rate of upheld disputed disclosures."
A Disclosure Scotland spokesman said that in "very rare instances, customers may believe that the information on their certificate does not relate to them, is wrong, or should not have been included".
He said: "The processes that Disclosure Scotland follow are set in legislation with the main aim of safeguarding the community for recruitment purposes, and our procedures reflect this obligation. Disclosure Scotland is a service designed to enhance public safety. Our service is designed to provide potential employers and voluntary sector organisations in the United Kingdom with criminal history information on individuals applying for posts. To put these figures in context, Disclosure Scotland processed over 1.2 million disclosure applications in 2012 alone."
