Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 416: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason there is such a long delay for applicants for Garda vetting particularly for young people who are applying for jobs; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that because of the inordinate length of time it takes to have the process completed many people have lost the opportunity of getting a job; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20983/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that all vetting application forms received by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) are processed in sequential order from the date of receipt. The current, average turnaround time for the processing of correctly completed vetting application forms is approximately one month. Significant departures from the average processing time occur only when further, more detailed enquiries are required in specific instances.

In order to meet the increased demand arising since 2006 from the ongoing major expansion in the provision of its vetting service, the GCVU has been in receipt of very significant additional resources. In particular, the human resource allocation to the Unit has increased from 13 originally to its current level of more than 60, with new personnel joining the Unit in each of the first three months of this year. When all these personnel have completed their induction and training, it is anticipated that processing times will be even further reduced.

All organisations registered for Garda vetting are aware of the processing timeframes for the receipt of Garda vetting and have been advised to take this into consideration in their recruitment and selection process.