Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Work so far on this Bill has concentrated on developing procedures for vetting of convictions through the vetting unit and the development of a register. This gives rise to a range of legal, policy and practical implementation issues. The purpose of the Bill is to give effect to recommendations of the child protection joint working group. This legislation arises out of the North-South Ministerial Council. It is not possible to indicate when the Bill will be ready but let us hope related developments shortly will give it a fillip.

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