Kleer91 could you forward the e-mail, pretty please? I have been unsuccessful getting an answer from HMRC and Civil Service HR. I'll send you my e-mail address in a private message.
From what I know the law changed in June 2013 and the registered body requesting the DBS check no longer receives a copy of the certificate. You could be right, Patriot12, and the law could be different in Scotland, but for the candidates in Wales and England, I am quite sure they need to send the certificate to the address I gave. Anyway you're better off checking with them.
Marx_1, the guys I had the interview with knew to say the start dates would be most likely moved to May as they did not think they'd manage on time for April.
A provisional offer to my mind is an offer that is a subject of meeting requirements - in our case DBS, references, health issues. I believe only as many people as there are vacancies receive the offer and they get the job once the requirements are met. If for some reason the requirements are not met, the person no longer has the job offer and a provisional offer is given to someone else, who is on top of 'a merit list', but didn't make the first offer cut. Something quite similar to a university's conditional offer?