The introduction of the Vetting and Barring Scheme has prompted widespread controversy. Children's author Philip Pullman, who regularly gives talks to children in schools, has said he will stop doing so. "Why should I have to pay £64 to a government agency to give me a little certificate saying that I am not a paedophile," he said. "It's so ludicrous that it's almost funny, but actually it's rather dispiriting and sinister."