Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary)
Vote 36 - Defence (Supplementary)

5:30 pm

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Chief of Staff has spoken to the Garda Commissioner about this issue, and I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, about it. There is absolutely a need for anyone entering the Defence Forces to have a full Garda clearance and security check, and I fully understand and appreciate the reasons for this. Applications to the Reserve Defence Force are vetted by the Garda's central vetting unit. I am led to believe that in standard cases this takes four weeks. However, additional vetting also takes place as appropriate to the role of the Defence Forces as an element of the national security infrastructure. The overall security processing time can take up to 12 weeks. I can assure the committee that the military authorities are addressing any avoidable delays that may occur during the recruitment process without diminishing any of the rigorous procedures that must be followed.

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