Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a very interesting issue. In passing legislation such as this we must always err on the side of caution in respect of children who might be in the care of persons from other jurisdictions where it might not be possible to obtain accurate or reliable information from the relevant state authorities. In these situations it is wise and prudent to err on the side of caution by not vetting them. The onus must be on the applicant sponsoring body to ensure it is in a position to put forward people who can provide reliable information from their home jurisdiction. We live in a global village and there have been instances in the past, perhaps not involving child welfare issues, where people in this country from other jurisdictions had serious criminal records which the State, regrettably, discovered only at a later date, at some cost to citizens of the State. We should, therefore, err entirely on the side of caution, particularly when it comes to children.