James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be fully aware, I will not be discussing a specific case. However, I will answer the question that was posed, which sought to discuss with the Minister for Justice the technologies and methods used as part of the Garda vetting process.

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Humphreys, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue in the House today. The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business. This is laid down under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and includes the technologies and methods used as part of the Garda vetting process. Additionally, the national vetting bureau Act of 2012 makes it the responsibility of the chief bureau officer of the Garda National Vetting Bureau to establish and maintain the database of the bureau. The Minister for Justice has no role in these independent functions.

The Minister is advised by the Garda authorities that, in general, the vetting process follows a number of steps. In the first step, the vetting subject manually completes and forwards to a relevant organisation a vetting invitation form and provides proof of identity. In the second step, the relevant organisation confirms proof of identity and sends the vetting subject an email with a link attached inviting him or her to complete a vetting application form. The third step is that the vetting subject completes the vetting application form online and submits it to the relevant organisation. In the fourth step, the relevant organisation reviews the vetting application form and submits it to the Garda National Vetting Bureau. The fifth step is that the bureau processes the application and forwards a vetting disclosure to the relevant organisation while the sixth is that the relevant organisation accesses the vetting disclosure through the online portal.

The Deputy may wish to know that the bureau provides applicants with a tracking number for their application and that, concurrent with the vetting process, they can track the progress of their application online. The Minister is advised that standard turnaround times for vetting run at five to eight working days and there are currently no delays or backlogs. As the Deputy will appreciate, some applications will take significantly longer for a variety of operational reasons.

I can also inform the Deputy that a Garda vetting review group was established in April 2021 and meets regularly to discuss potential amendments to vetting legislation. This group includes members of the Garda National Vetting Bureau in An Garda Síochána, officials from my Department and from Tusla and other relevant stakeholders. The primary focus of the group is strengthening the vetting legislation in an effective manner. Issues to be considered by the group include any changes which may be possible in the area of re-vetting. The Minister hopes the group will be in a position to report on its work early in the new year. I can also confirm to the Deputy that technology will be addressed in the working group's report.

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