Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are now unvetted staff working in child care posts in the South Western Area Health Board area due to the fact that the board's child care directorate will no longer refer employees who are not directly employed and funded by an ADM staffing grant, that is, community employment child care workers, to the Garda vetting unit, and that this has made it impossible to obtain Garda clearance for community employment child care workers, due to the fact that this is a requirement of staffing grants under ADM Limited contracts, and due to the fact that FÁS is refusing to get involved and the Garda vetting unit will not deal directly with an employer; and the action he will take to resolve this matter, including communication with his counterparts in other Departments. [21780/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I would the Deputy to my reply to Questions Nos. 8 and 43 of today's date. 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 childcare schemes funded by my Department. The unit currently deals with approximately 100,000 vetting applications per annum. Although the groups referred to by the Deputy cannot currently avail of this vetting regime, these will be covered by a planned phased extension of Garda vetting arrangements to all relevant sectors and groups. I am pleased to state that this extension 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.