Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

A central pillar of Government policy is to have large numbers of those who are currently without work gain meaningful employment as a means of resolving the economic crisis. I commend the efforts the Government has made in this regard, including successfully increasing foreign direct investment, implementing two action plans for jobs and announcing a schools building programme. Despite the recession, it also announced substantial capital expenditure on infrastructure under last year's stimulus plan.

Notwithstanding these positive developments, I propose to focus on how a policy of the Government or State agency is affecting the growth of jobs in east County Galway. I am sure the issue I highlight is replicated across the country. I am fully in favour of ensuring that all residents in my area have full accessibility to the workforce and that boundaries and barriers to work are eliminated through Government action. To achieve anything of significance in this regard, we must address a delay that many people are experiencing in having applications to the Garda vetting unit processed. The Garda Síochána provides a great quality control service in processing vetting applications. However, it is of the utmost importance that nothing comes between those who wish to work and access to employment. People are waiting for months to obtain Garda clearance, which is acting as a major barrier to entry into the workforce. Last year, in my home town of Athenry, 63 students who were studying various post-leaving certificate courses in the vocational college were prevented from undertaking work experience as part of their courses as a result of delays in obtaining Garda clearance. Some of them also had placements withdrawn as a result, which essentially deemed them unemployable for the period of the delay.

I have also been contacted by a self-employed individual who had to cease work for a three-week period because he did not have the clearance required for the job he was undertaking. This caused him financial hardship. It is a terrible indictment of the current process that it deters and discourages people from entering the workforce. Much of the problem with delays is caused by people making multiple applications for Garda clearance each year. For instance, if someone needs clearance for his or her workplace, an application must be submitted to the Garda vetting unit. If the same person wishes to train a children's sports team or work for a charity, he or she will have to submit separate applications for each purpose.

We must consider the number of job opportunities that are being lost as a result of these delays. Will the Minister of State consider redeploying public servants to the vetting unit in Thurles to alleviate the delays being experienced? Will the Department draw up plans to invest in technology that will help address the current delays in processing Garda vetting applications? Greater efforts must be made to prioritise applicants who have been approved in previous months.

I am not suggesting in the preceding years, obviously, because as the Minister of State knows well, people might have committed a crime that might be contrary to the spirit of the legislation and, in particular, the Garda vetting unit.