Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 457: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if third level college students on courses where a placement with children or vulnerable adults is necessary, are being vetted by the central vetting unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18378/05]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 458: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if all new teachers and other staff at schools are being vetted prior to employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18379/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 457 and 458 together.

Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children in schools is a key concern for me, parents, schools and society generally. The central vetting unit run by the Garda Síochána is responsible for vetting requests with regard to prospective employees of designated agencies with substantial unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults. The designated agencies comprise more than 900 organisations. In the education sector, vetting is available in respect of requests for clearance from my Department with regard to bus escorts and special needs assistants provided to children with special educational needs and to staff working in children detention schools.

A cross-governmental working group, established to put forward proposals for reform of vetting by the central vetting unit, has recommended the expansion of its services to include all people working with children and vulnerable adults. To this end, the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has announced a major increase in the resources to be provided to the Garda vetting unit to improve the level of vetting available to employers who employ people to work with children and vulnerable adults. The initiative includes more than doubling staff resources for the unit.

Employment of school staff is primarily a matter for the boards of management of schools who have a statutory responsibility in this regard. School authorities have a duty of care to their pupils and normal practice is to insist on letters of reference from previous employers before offering a position. In addition, Part 4 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 obliges convicted sex offenders, which includes persons convicted abroad as well as in this jurisdiction, and before as well as after the commencement of the Act when seeking or accepting employment or a voluntary position involving unsupervised access to children to inform their prospective employer of the fact of the conviction. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.