Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the discussions between the Department of Health and Children and her Department commenced with regard to the establishment of a pre-employment consultancy service; when such discussions will be concluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19874/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An Inter Departmental Working Group was established in 2002 to examine the issue of extending Garda vetting, taking account of all aspects of the vetting of persons coming in contact with children and vulnerable persons — be they full-time, part-time, voluntary or community workers or students on placements. My Department was presented on the Working Group.

In the education sector, vetting is currently available in respect of prospective employees of children in detention schools as well as special needs assistants (SNAs) and bus escorts to children with special needs. My colleague Brian Lenihan TD, Minister for Children, announced a doubling of the number of staff employed in the Garda Central Vetting Unit — which has been relocated to Thurles under the Government's decentralisation programme — in order to ensure that they can handle a greater volume of requests from employers. The provision of additional staff resources will enable the Garda Síochána's vetting services to be extended to all persons working with children and vulnerable adults. This will include teachers, caretakers, bus drivers and others working with children, whether on a full-time or part-time basis.

As a first step in the expansion of services provided by the Vetting Unit, it is proposed that new staff employed in the 2006/07 school year will be vetted. In the case of new teachers, vetting will form part of the process of the registration by the newly established Teaching Council. The Council will be responsible for submitting the applications to the Vetting Unit. In the case of non-teaching staff, it will be the responsibility of the relevant school authorities, including vocational education committees where appropriate, to submit the applications.

Guidelines for school authorities are being prepared and will be issued shortly.

In relation to the issue of the establishment of a pre-employment consultancy service, in their report, the Working Group also recommended that the Department of Health and Children and my Department give consideration to the development of non-Garda, employment-related vetting registers to provide information on those previously dismissed, suspended, moved or made redundant from posts for harming children or vulnerable adults in the health and education sectors, respectively.

Discussions have been held between representatives of both Departments on this matter. In addition, the legal and constitutional issues involved here are being considered by the Department of Health and Children, which has a lead role in advancing this matter, in consultation with the Attorney General's Office.