What does 'have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense...' on a job...

[Enmity]

...application form mean? I am applying for a job, and a question on the application sheet reads:

"Have you have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense related to the position applied for and for which you have not been pardoned?"

What does this mean?

Answers are appreciated.

[Esther]

They are asking if you have ever been summoned to Court and been given a criminal record. This also includes driving offences. Some jobs, especially those working with vulnerable sections of society (Children, elderly etc) require you to give a disclosure of any offence, which is then checked with the Criminal Records Bureau. If the record shows that you haven't disclosed all of your offences it could hinder your chances of being employed. However most employers are just wanting to check they aren't hiring some with previous convictions for serious crimes against people. If doesnt sound like they are wanting to do a full check with the CRB, most job application forms have this question on them nowadays.
If you dont have a criminal record then fine, but if you do its best to tell them, it doesn't mean you wont get employed.