Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question and for his interest in this important area. The question of Garda vetting of individuals who go on to become members of An Garda Síochána is an important issue. It is not like ordinary vetting where somebody wants to become a football coach or is involved with children because it is much more thorough. I am informed by the Commissioner that vetting of candidates is conducted by the Garda National Vetting Bureau in a centralised unit and that it is the most stringent vetting in respect of any role in the State.

The Deputy is correct to state that there has been a change in how the vetting has occurred, but it is not correct to state that people enter Templemore unvetted. I have been informed that there are three stages to the vetting process. Before somebody enters Templemore, stage 1 of the vetting has been completed. There are then stages 2 and 3, which are now being done during the course of the individual's presence within Templemore. The reason we did that is we wanted to speed up the process of recruiting members to An Garda Síochána. I am frequently asked questions about this and, before I was a Minister, I said that we needed to do more to speed up the process of recruitment.

One of the mechanisms by which recruitment was being slowed down was that the vetting process was taking too long. Instead, what will happen is people will be vetted at stage 1, they will go into Templemore, and stages 2 and 3 will be completed while they are at Templemore. The effect of that has been that, on 10 March, 201 trainee gardaí started in Templemore. When they are attested in December this year and when they are then out on the streets, they will have been vetted to the exact same extent as any member of An Garda Síochána who was vetted under the old system. This will not result in a situation where gardaí are patrolling the streets as attested members who have not been thoroughly vetted.

I know the Deputy's concern but it is not correct - this is my respectful response - to say that people are entering unvetted. They are vetted. It is just that the process of vetting is not completed until they are fully attested.

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