Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 265: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the numbers of persons awaiting a decision on Garda clearance; the number of applications that are in respect of a job application; the average processing time of applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41134/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides employment vetting for a large number of organisations in Ireland which are registered with the Gardaí for this purpose.

Since 2004 the service has been, and continues to be, extended to organisations working with children and/or vulnerable adults. Over that period there has been a substantial increase in the numbers of vetting applications received by the GCVU. In 2007 it received 187,864, rising to 218,404 in 2008. In 2009 it received over 246,000 applications. I am informed by the Garda Authorities that at the end of October there were over 60,000 vetting applications in the course of being processed and that the current average processing time for vetting applications received at the GCVU is approximately 12 weeks.

The GCVU does not maintain records of placements or employment received by vetting subjects with the organisations which have sought the vetting. That is a matter for the organisations themselves. It is, therefore, not possible to give the information sought by the Deputy.