Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when all primary and secondary teachers, and other school staff, will be vetted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34227/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, for parents, for agencies that work with children and for society generally and I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe.

In the education sector, prior to this year, vetting was 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.

In order to enable the Garda Síochána's vetting services to be extended to all persons, including primary and secondary teachers, working with children and vulnerable adults, additional resources were allocated to the Garda Central Vetting Unit. As a first step in the expansion of services provided by the Garda Central Vetting Unit in respect of the education sector, it was decided that new staff employed in schools in the 2006/07 school year would be vetted.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that all new teachers have been vetted and the process of vetting non-teaching staff is under way.

It is proposed that in due course vetting will be extended to all existing staff. In this regard discussions will be held with the relevant interests.