Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

The Garda vetting process is in urgent need of reform and is proving frustrating for volunteers in community groups and sporting organisations. I acknowledge and recognise the importance of Garda vetting in order to safeguard young people and vulnerable adults. I understand its main objective is to indicate whether somebody has a criminal record or is a threat to a vulnerable person. If someone wants to coach with their local GAA, they need Garda vetting. If they want to get involved in coaching the local soccer club, they need Garda vetting again. If they are involved in something like the community games, Garda vetting is required again. This is clogging up the system. There is a serious lack of joined-up thinking in relation to the process around it.

Surely to God, with the technology available to us in 2025, there has to be a simpler and slicker way to manage Garda vetting nationally. The process needs to be simplified to make it is easy as possible. Surely once a person is vetted once and qualified, this should be accepted for all organisations and groups. Similar to a passport, once a person is approved, they should be Garda vetted for a certain period of time and should then have to renew perhaps every year or every three years, but one vetting would cover all organisations. This would make a huge difference to all the groups and to the Garda vetting process and it would stop unnecessary clogging up the system with multiple applications.

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