Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for dealing with the matter. The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 makes it mandatory for people working with children or vulnerable adults to be screened by the Garda National Vetting Bureau. This provision is necessary and prudent and is welcomed by all organisations working with the young and with vulnerable people. It means that adults in roles such as teaching, youth work, sports coaching and nursing, those working in church organisations and many others are now obliged to have Garda clearance. While this is positive, the fact an individual has to make a unique application for vetting clearance for each organisation seems an unnecessary duplication of effort and is an example of how the procedures are designed to suit the system rather than to accommodate the volunteer or the staff member.

A young woman I know had to have Garda vetting for her college course. She had to be vetted again because she is involved in a church group, vetted a third time because she is involved in the Irish Girl Guides, vetted a fourth time because she teaches English as a foreign language in her spare time and, would you believe, vetted a fifth time because her family keep Spanish students. All of these accreditations are identical. They all say that she has no criminal conviction and that there is no concern she will harm a child or put a child at risk. They all say the exact same thing. When she asked me why she cannot just have one card that proves she has been vetted and cleared, I could find no logical answer for her. At the moment this woman, who has much to offer her local community and who understands and supports the need for vetting, is being asked, like many others, to jump through multiple hoops unnecessarily.

This can be offputting and serve to discourage people from taking additional voluntary roles in the community. I will agree that the application procedure has speeded up considerably in recent years, particularly with the introduction of online application vetting. However, with 3,000 applications a month, I believe it makes more sense to have a single vetting card issued to an individual which would be valid for a fixed period of time and would be used in multiple contexts, as happens in other countries.

There is an issue which is coming to a head at present involving 32,000 teachers who have worked in the same schools since before 2006, when vetting became compulsory. They all now need to apply for vetting before the end of the month. The Teaching Council is concerned that, based on current trends, as many as 600 teachers may lapse from its register and, therefore, face loss of salary. Many of these 32,000 teachers already have Garda vetting clearance for other activities in which they are involved. It seems ridiculous that this cannot be used for their teaching.

Vetting is essential but unnecessary complication is not. There are lots of excuses as to why a more streamlined vetting system cannot be put in place but there is no good reason. I ask the Minister of State, the line Minister and the Department to review the current procedure without delay with a view to making it more user-friendly. We need a system that not only protects children but one which removes unnecessary barriers for those wishing to help and support those same children.