Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will assist a group (details supplied) in Dublin 10 with regard to assistance from the gardaí in obtaining clearance for community employment child care workers. [18796/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Garda central vetting unit, GCVU, carries out criminal record vetting in respect of, inter alia, prospective full-time employees of the Health Service Executive and in certain agencies funded by the executive, as well as in respect of prospective child care workers on equal opportunities child care schemes funded by my Department. The unit currently deals with approximately 100,000 vetting applications per annum.

Although the group referred to by the Deputy cannot currently avail of this vetting regime in respect of some of its staff, these will be covered by a planned phased extension of Garda vetting arrangements to all relevant groups. In this regard, a working group was established to examine the issue of extending vetting arrangements. The working group submitted its final report in March 2004 and this report has since been published in electronic form on my Department's website. On the basis of this report, my colleague, Deputy Brian Lenihan, Minister of State with special responsibility for children, announced the provision of additional staff resources for the GCVU to enable the Garda Síochána's vetting services to be extended.

The Minister of State's announcement implements one of the key recommendations of the working group. The other practical recommendations are being brought forward by an implementation group chaired by the Garda Síochána and comprising representatives of my Department; the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science and Finance; the Office of the Attorney General and Mr. Paul Gilligan, chief executive officer of the ISPCC.

I am pleased that the extension of the services of the GCVU will commence later this year, as soon as the necessary practical arrangements are in place, and public announcements will occur in this regard in due course.