Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to raise an issue of serious concern to eight employees of the local authorities in County Tipperary and their families. The issue at hand is the decision made by Garda human resources, HR, not to proceed with a number of redeployments already agreed between the local authorities in County Tipperary and the offices of the Garda vetting unit. These transfers had been negotiated and signed off on by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government but were later blocked by the Department of Justice and Equality. Eight staff in total, six from South Tipperary County Council and two from North Tipperary County Council, had agreed to transfer to the Garda vetting unit and received a letter of offer confirming their transfer only to have the rug pulled from under them later to devastating effect. These employees believe they have been abandoned.

I will outline the timeline of events. In March this year preliminary discussions took place between North and South Tipperary County Councils and the Garda vetting unit on the possibility of having a redeployment option for staff in County Tipperary. Following these discussions, the local authorities issued an e-mail to all staff, inviting expressions of interest. It was indicated to staff that the vacancies were at grades three and four, with a limited number at grade six. It was later clarified that Garda HR was seeking grade three clerical officers only. Full clarification from Garda HR on a number of queries concerning contracts and terms and conditions was provided for the county councils in June. In July the local authorities received an e-mail from Garda HR seeking an update on the progress of potential redeployments. Further to this e-mail, on 24 July, a letter of offer was issued to eight members of staff who had expressed an interest and been identified as suitable for redeployment. An e-mail was returned to Garda HR from the councils outlining the proposal to transfer eight members of staff and providing details of release dates, commencing in September. In August confirmation of the transfers was received from Garda HR. It was stated the transfers would initially, for the remainder of this year, be on a secondment basis, followed by permanent transfers. All the required information on the eight staff was passed to Garda HR and following the provision of this information, confirmation was received from Garda HR that there were vacancies in both the Thurles and Tipperary town offices of the Garda vetting unit for the proposed transfer of these eight staff members. It was agreed that the transfers would commence in September. However, on 2 September, before the redeployments could be realised, the county manager received a telephone call from Garda HR to advise that the proposal was no longer progressing. The eight staff were then notified of the difficulty.

The councils and the staff, in particular, are understandably disappointed and very aggrieved that the proposed redeployment opportunities were effectively withdrawn, particularly in view of the fact that they had already been issued with a formal contract of offer. When the staff received these written offers, they began to make preparations for themselves and their families in the light of their new changed work circumstances. The late removal of this offer has had a devastating impact on the individuals and families concerned. Since their offers have been withdrawn, the staff in question have essentially been left in the dark with no information on whether the transfers could occur at a later date or where they will turn to from here. As a result of the amalgamation of the two local authorities in County Tipperary, discussions are under way internally on where the staff will be transferred and how the single authority will operate. The eight staff who were to be transferred to the Garda vetting unit are essentially in limbo and have been hugely disadvantaged by the conflicting information they have received. It is grossly unfair to them that they should be so adversely affected. They acted in good faith at all times and trusted the information provided for them. It is now urgent and essential that due consideration be given to the request to follow through on the offers previously made.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for bringing this matter to the attention of the Dáil. I apologise for the absence of the Minister for Justice and Equality who is on official business elsewhere.

The Deputy and the House will be aware of the importance of delivering a vetting service that protects the most vulnerable in our society. Significant additional resources have been provided for the Garda Commissioner in the past 12 months to decrease processing times in the Garda central vetting unit and ensure the best possible level of service is provided for organisations across the country which avail of the services of the unit. The current processing time for vetting applications is approximately seven weeks from the date of receipt of the application in the vetting unit.

There are currently 136 whole-time equivalent civilian staff assigned to the vetting unit and upwards of 40 additional staff are to take up duty later this month on transfer from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This will bring the total number of staff to almost 180 compared to 93 last December. It is expected that when these staff are fully trained in early 2014, there will be a further reduction in processing times. This is a very good example of the value of redeployment within the public service and the contribution it can make to the more effective use of resources.

These additional resources were obtained in recent months from within the justice sector, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and other public service organisations such as the Shannon Free Airport Development Corporation. Discussions were held with these organisations and the local authority in question to identify surplus staff who could be redeployed to the vetting unit. The outcome of these discussions was an increase of over 90% in the resources available to the vetting unit.

It is my understanding that the discussions with the local authority were not completed by the time the latest staff became available from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and, therefore, it is not the case that an agreement was in place which was cancelled. As the local authority staff were potentially transferring with different terms and conditions from those that apply in the Civil Service, these discussions were inherently more complex and protracted than those involving the direct transfer of Civil Service staff.

The Garda central vetting unit has sufficient resources available to it to provide an efficient and effective vetting service. In the event that additional or replacement resources are required in the future, the potential for the transfer of staff from the local authority can be further explored. Such a transfer would be dependent on the availability of the necessary sanctions and finance.

An e-vetting system is currently being developed and it is expected that this will come on stream in 2014 following the initial phase of testing, which will take place later this year. When this is achieved, the system will streamline the overall vetting process in this jurisdiction and further contribute to reductions in processing times for all vetting applications. The vetting unit provides employment vetting for approximately 20,000 organisations in Ireland. They are registered with the unit for this purpose, which employs personnel to work in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or student capacity with children or vulnerable adults. Garda vetting is conducted only on behalf of registered organisations and is not conducted for individuals on a personal basis. When an organisation is registered with the unit, it is entitled to receive Garda vetting services in respect of its employees. In addition, there has been a steady increase in the number of applications for vetting. The unit processed 328,000 applications in 2012 and it is expected that this will increase to 350,000 in 2013.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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I appreciate that the Minister of State has given a response on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality. I believe it is totally unsatisfactory and it is in error, because an offer was made in writing. This debacle arose following the Government's policy initiative to reform and rationalise local authorities. Urban district councils were deliberately abolished and, in the case of Tipperary, the north and south county councils were amalgamated for administrative purposes. The local body set up to oversee and implement the Government policy initiative had consultations with staff in the affected councils and it was agreed that eight staff would be transferred to the Garda vetting unit. This was approved by the county manager and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, and it was also understood that the proposal had the approval of the Department of Justice and Equality, as the need for more staff existed at the time in the unit.

The subsequent change of mind by the Department of Justice and Equality showed stunning disrespect for the loyal and dedicated staff of the local authorities who were engaged in this process. The Government and, in particular, the Department have shown appalling indifference to the plight of these staff, who have been badly let down and are feeling aggrieved. The eight officials have been misled and they received dreadful treatment due to the bungling that took place between the Departments of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Justice and Equality. The matter needs to be addressed at ministerial level and the situation needs to be rectified to the satisfaction of the affected staff.

This sorry saga has left a sour taste in the mouths of all local authority staff in Tipperary. What they consider as a reneging on previous written commitments has led to a distrust of the entire process and frustration and anger towards the system and, in particular, the Department of Justice and Equality.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the detail he has provided to the House. I will ensure the Minister for Justice and Equality is made aware of what he said. Any additional resources that are made available to the vetting unit must be sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Minister for Justice and Equality must have sufficient resources to pay the additional staff. It is not expected at this time that additional resources will be required by the unit. However, the position will be kept under constant review and monitored closely. The objective at all times is the protection of vulnerable people and the delivery of an effective and efficient vetting service. I appreciate what the Deputy said and I will make sure the Minister is made aware of his contribution immediately.