Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people given clearance by the Garda Síochána arising from his decision to vet people working in the education service; the number of people vetted by the Garda Síochána for whom clearance to work with children has been refused; the number of people vetted; the number for County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3453/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Garda central vetting unit, GCVU, was established in 2002 and, in the education sector, currently processes vetting requests in respect of bus escorts, special needs assistants and staff for children in detention schools. In the time available, it has not been possible to compile information on the number of persons so vetted since 2002 in the education sector.

Last year, an inter-agency working group on Garda vetting reported with a clear and focused strategy for enhancing national vetting arrangements from a child protection perspective. This strategy provides for an expansion of the GCVU's vetting service to all organisations which recruit persons having substantial, unsupervised access to children, including to the primary and post-primary education sectors.

The implementation strategy is being overseen by an implementation group on Garda vetting comprising key stakeholders, including the Department of Education and Science. Preparations are at an advanced stage for the extension of vetting services and, to facilitate this, an additional 17 staff have been provided to the GCVU to more than double its numbers from 13 to 30.

The GCVU has recently been successfully decentralised to new, custom-designed office accommodation in Thurles, County Tipperary, from where it will soon commence expansion of its vetting service.