Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I will declare an interest, I currently hold the position of chairman of the Leitrim County Childcare Committee. Over the years, I have been made aware of the vetting difficulties in employing people who work with children. I was surprised the Minister of State referred to the Bill making a practice mandatory, "whereas at present this is done on the basis of a voluntary code". That may be technically or legally correct but in my experience dealing with child care organisations and those involved in them, anyone employed in any capacity where children are involved is not employed without Garda clearance. That has been the practice but the Bill reinforces it. It is not the case that the Bill will create a new environment, in case that impression is created. On the ground, vetting procedures are taking place.

I discussed this matter with the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, last year. He had taken a personal interest in the vetting process and had, admirably, improved the speed of response. By the spring of this year, the vetting process had been reduced from the original timescale of three months to six weeks. However, I am sad to report to the House that the best efforts of the Minister have been thwarted, whether by bureaucracy or an overwhelming number of applicants. The vetting procedure and the timeline for processing applications through the Garda Síochána has increased. There are longer delays. The Minister's advisers are present and I ask that they investigate why the good work under way last year seems to have slowed. Is it a question of resources or an the increase in the number of applications? On the ground, it is causing difficulty for those who want to have the vetting process up and running and out of the way. Members on all sides made reference to resources and perhaps that is what it is. Is the Minister of State responding to this debate?