Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I welcome the expansion of the Garda vetting unit. However, I wonder if the system can cope at the moment or will be able to cope in future with the significant number of applications it receives. When one talks to any of the relevant agencies it appears there is a near avalanche of requests being received by the unit. I hope applications will be prioritised in some way, particularly where children are most vulnerable. Some sports bodies, for example in swimming, have a history of problems with child abuse. It is simplistic to adopt a chronological approach. Is the Minister aware that the National Youth Council of Ireland states that at least 33,000 youth leaders will require vetting? Is he confident that a mere 30 people in the office in Thurles will be able to cope? What waiting time will apply?

The Minister has promised legislation on reckless endangerment, using the state of Massachusetts as a model. Will he bring forward legislation to require bodies working with children to put in place a strong code of practice or vetting system for its staff? While some organisations, notably the Roman Catholic Church and Scouting Ireland, have put in place strong controls, many organisations have only rudimentary systems or none at all. Will he introduce such legislation so that children are not put at undue risk from voluntary bodies or other organisations?

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